Alternate
by Pennan Inque
Summary: [Voted Best Ongoing OC Fic of 2012] "From the first day that we met Felicity, Cloud and I knew that our lives would never be the same... If only we knew what was in store for the three of us backwater experts." Crisis Core retold with added OC, romance, humor, and adventure. Summary inside. Zack and OC primarily.
1. Country Boys?

_**Summary: On the way to Modeoheim, Zack and Cloud meet another country boy and become close friends. However, this backwater expert turns out to be a feisty girl with a personality to rival Zack's. They go through the trials and traumas that accompany Crisis Core and help each other through the good and bad. How will it all end?**_

_**I encourage you to read until at least chapter 4. Things get better as the story progresses.**_

**The story centers around interactions between Zack, Cloud and Felicity, the OC. As the story is in Zack's POV, the most obvious romance is between him and Felicity, however Cloud seems to develop feelings for her as well. You'll need to read to the end to see the result between the three. **

**As usual, REVIEWS are greatly appreciated.**

**Enjoy.**

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"Yo!" I yell across the tundra to Tseng and the others. "Don't fall too far behind!" I turn to the infantryman keeping pace with me. I smile. "At least someone's keeping up."

He keeps his gaze forward as we continue trudging through the snow. "Well, I'm a country boy too."

My interest piques. He's caught my attention. "From where?"

He slows his pace and I pass him so we can talk face to face. "Nibelheim," he answers.

I scoff before laughing heartily, walking in a bemused circle subconsciously. I can barely hear him ask, "how about you?" I'm laughing so hard.

I turn back to face him. "Me?" I ask (rather pointlessly in retrospect), thrusting a thumb in my own direction as a huge grin spreads across my face "Gongaga." He starts laughing. "Hey," I start, feigning insult as he tries to cover his snickers with his glove, "what's so funny about that? You know Gongaga?"

"No," he sniggers lightheartedly, "but it's such a backwater name."

"Ditto Nibelheim!" I retort, turning back around.

He calls after me. "Like you've been there."

I come around again. "I haven't, but there's a reactor there, right?" He nods. "A mako reactor outside Midgar usually means…"

"Nothing else out there," we both chorus. Our eyes connect and we erupt into a bout of laughter.

"Good news, Tseng!" I point to the far off Turk and straggling infantryman as I shout. "Me and…" I look to the guy beside me, realizing I hadn't gotten his name.

He takes off his helmet to reveal a head of blonde, spiky hair. His blue eyes are bright as he introduces himself. "Cloud."

"Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts!" I yell, gesturing to the two of us before clenching my fists in enthusiasm. "Oh yeah!"

"Good. Carry on then." Tseng calls back. "Though I wouldn't call you experts. Experts would be leading the pack."

Cloud and I exchange confused glances. "We _are_ leading."

"No, you _were_ leading. An infantryman passed you about half an hour ago."

"What?"

"We should meet back up with him soon. Just carry on."

Cloud and I slowly about-face and continue walking. Our steps are less fervent than before. Finally I have to ask, "You didn't notice anyone pass us, did you?"

Cloud shakes his head. "No."

I frown. "I mean, it's not that big a deal, but I must really be losing my touch if I can't see an infantryman pass me."

"I didn't see him either. Don't worry about it."

I relax. I shouldn't even be concerned about something so trivial. "You're right." We walk a while longer. "Must be some infantryman though."

"Has to be a ninja." Cloud smiles. I return the gesture. We fall into a comfortable silence.

We're probably a couple of miles from Modeoheim when we see the amber glow of a fire. As we get closer, I notice someone sitting on a rock beside the fire in a Shinra uniform identical to Cloud's. "That'd gotta be him," I say to Cloud. He nods in agreement and we head towards him and the flames. My feet speed up with the prospect of a warm fire to defrost my frozen body.

The infantryman notices our approach. Once we were in earshot he yells at us. "About time you caught up! I thought I'd be waiting here all day!"

"Uh…sorry?" I reply.

"I suppose I shouldn't be complaining," he says. His voice sounds odd- raw and pitched- but I chalk it up to puberty and the frigid temperature. "I was the one who went ahead. Sorry about that by the way; I get antsy easily and the pace was a little too slow for me. I took the liberty to snag some food though," he gestures to a pile of cooked fish and hare sitting by the fire. "Help yourselves."

My eyes bulge. "You caught all this?"

He nods, trying to keep down a proud grin and failing. "Yup. I went through the tundra. There's a great fishing spot to the North and some forestry to the East. A fishing line and a couple traps later and voila!"

I look over the array of game. Now I knew what Tseng meant when he said Cloud and I weren't experts. "And you're sure we can eat all this?"

He grins ear to ear. "Of course. Don't want to get to Modeoheim on an empty stomach."

Cloud refrains from licking his lips as he looks from the food to his fellow infantryman. "And you?"

He waves him off. "Don't worry about it. I already had some."

Cloud nods and then starts eating a fish appreciatively.

I grab a hare and stare at it before I throw an incredulous look at the infantryman. "How are you this skilled? You live around here or something?"

"Nah," he says, stretching before inching closer to the fire. "I'm from Banora. When I wasn't out gathering and hunting for my family, I was working in the orchards. And when there isn't anything to do other than pick dumb-apples, the pickers tend to talk to each other. We usually share our knowledge and skills so everyone can improve. It's like a win-win-win." He smiles.

"You're from Banora?" I ask, pleasantly surprised. "Do you know Angeal?"

The guy perks. "You bet! Angeal's like my big brother!"

I beam. "No way! Same here! He's always looked after me at SOLDIER."

"He's the reason I joined. I thought it'd be awesome to fight with Angeal and Genesis." My face fell. This guy must not have heard about Genesis deserting. "It'd be just like when we were little. We used to fend off the wild animals that would wander into town."

Cloud senses my unease at the mention of Genesis and changes the subject. He knows I don't want to be the bearer of bad news. "Zack and I were impressed you passed us. We're both self-proclaimed backwater experts."

"Oh, you guys are from the country too?"

"Yup!" I say, happy the topic switched. "I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class from Gongaga. Nice to meet ya!"

Cloud smiles. "Cloud Strife. Infantryman from Nibelheim."

"And you're from Banora." I gesture to the three of us. "I guess we're all country boys."

"Oh, I wouldn't call myself that," the infantryman says, reaching up to take off his helmet. A cascade of brown curls fell to his shoulders and delicate pale-blue eyes shone mischievously from his impish face. Only it was now very apparent that the infantryman wasn't a he. She smiled. "More like country girl. The name's Felicity White. Nice to meet cha!"

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**Hurray! Plot twist! ...or it would be if I hadn't included the part of the newcomer being a girl in the summary.**

**What do you think of Felicity's character? Is the story enjoyable? Any suggestions?**

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	2. Banter

**Chapter 2! (sorry it's kinda short)**

**Gotta say, I'm much happier with this story than the first. The characters are coming out much better in this style of writing.**

**Here we have some playful banter between the three country-folk. Should be a hoot and a half.**

**Enjoy.**

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Cloud, Felicity and I continue through the snow, making light small talk as we head for the Mako Excavation Facility while Tseng and the other infantryman proceed to Modeoheim.

Needless to say Felicity's gender takes Cloud and I for a loop. We can only half concentrate on the conversation, our brains temporarily frozen as they tried to work out what happened.

She calls us out on it. "Is me being a girl such a hard thing to believe?" she asks suddenly.

Cloud and I jolt out of our musings. Sheepishly we poorly deny her. "O-of course not!" I stammer, slightly flummoxed. I wasn't used to awkward situations like these. "Had it, uh, not been for the uniform, I totally would have thought you were a girl."

"Absolutely." Cloud agrees. "All the bulk of the armor gives you a masculine build." She quirks an eyebrow at him. He realizes his mistake. "Not that you really do have a masculine build. It's just the uniform makes it look that way." He catches himself again. "Not that you look large or anything! I'm sure you have a slim figure- but that's not to say you haven't got any curves either! I'm sure you have a lovely figure…I- oh never mind." He slumps a little and gives up.

Felicity erupts into a fit of tinkling laughter and giggles. She clutches her sides as she squirms, unable to remain still as she snorts. "You guys are hilarious!" she says, wiping a tear from her eye as she winds herself down. "You seriously need to relax! I'm not going to bite your heads off."

Cloud's face is crimson with embarrassment so I decide to tackle the rebuttal. I run a hand through my hair. "We just didn't want to offend. With most girls you have to tread lightly and watch what you say."

"Oh, I know what you mean!" Felicity says, swallowing the last of her giggles. "It's like walking on eggs shells. Don't even worry about it." She winks. "I can take a joke. And I'm certainly not 'most girls'."

I start to feel myself ease and the nervous tension I felt before drifted away. "You can say that again. I don't know too many females in the Shinra infantry. And none who chose to wear the male uniform."

She shrugs. "I like the mobility. You can hardly move in those dumb skirts they give the girl recruits. And kicks are almost impossible. It's not my first choice of uniform, but it's better than nothing. At least I can fight in it."

Cloud jumps into the conversation, seemingly over his previous embarrassment. "You should complain to Lazard."

She shrugs again. "It's not that big a deal. So long as I can move comfortably, it's fine. Besides, I won't be an infantryman for long. I'll be a 1st in no time!"

I laugh. "Hey now, I'm not even a 1st yet. Wait your turn!"

"From what I hear _your_ turn has taken long enough." She smirks playfully. "I think it's fair game now."

"Then may the best SOLDIER win." I smile, offering a hand.

She takes it, locking gazes with me, her smirk still in place. "Oh, I will."

I retract my hand to run it through my hair again, a grin spreading across my face. "Boy, you sure are cocky."

"Nah. Just confident."

"While confidence is encouraged in SOLDIER, bear in mind that it will be me who makes 1st first."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep dreaming Fair."

Big smiles light up our faces as we send teasing glares at each other. I could tell we were going to get along.

Cloud chuckles at our banter. "Keep the peace, guys. We've still got to get to the Facility."

"What are you talking about, Cloud? We've done nothing but be nice to each other." Felicity wraps an arm around my neck and astonishingly gives me a noogie. "Haven't we, buddy?"

I laugh and attempt to throw her off. "Yeah, nothing but polite, gentle treatment!"

Cloud snickers. "Come on you two. Let's go."

Felicity disentangles her limbs from mine. She smirks at me. "I thought you were supposed to be in charge."

I laugh again. It feels good after the recent hardships. "So did I."

"Maybe Cloud'll beat us both to 1st."

"Not a chance! He's way too clumsy."

Cloud calls over his shoulder, "I can hear you, you know!"

Felicity and I burst into laughter and run after him.

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	3. Infiltration

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The three of us crouch outside the Facility. We watch the guards and their movements as we formulate a plan.

"Tseng said not to waste time here." I say. "We're to get into the warehouse with minimal conflict so stealth is key. Once inside, we can do as we see fit."

Felicity rolls her eyes. "Yeah, we know. We were standing next to you when he explained everything. Can we just go?"

"Not yet. We need a plan. We can't just barge in and sneak around. We're easily outnumbered. We might get caught. "

"Actually," Cloud pipes in, "I think I've got the basic pattern of the guards' movements. I might be able to find a clear path to the warehouse so we aren't seen."

I grin and knock his shoulder. "Atta boy! See, you'll be a great SOLDIER!" He sends me a grateful smile. I clap my hands in a _to business_ way before getting to my feet. "Alright. Cloud and I will infiltrate the Facility and figure out what Genesis is up to. We'll be back in a jiffy," I say to Felicity.

She stands quickly. "Whoa, whoa! I am not staying here!"

I was hoping this wouldn't happen but I should have figured she would protest. "We won't be long. This is a small mission. We won't need more than two operatives inside. Just stay put."

A hand flew to her hip as she glared unhappily at us- a pose almost laughable in the bulky infantryman uniform. "This better not be because I'm a girl."

I look to Cloud for help but he wants no part in this. I run a hand through my hair awkwardly. "It'll be dangerous."

She scowled. "You've got to be kidding me."

"And you're emotionally attached. If Genesis happens to be inside…"

"Then I can help. I'm not dumb; I know what happened to Genesis. If he is inside, I could talk to him. Make him see reason."

"Or something could go horribly wrong." She continues to glower at me. "Look, I don't think it's a good idea. It's too risky and dangerous, so you should just stay here. I don't want to pull rank on you, but if you resist, I will."

Felicity folds her arms. She's cross, but she seems to accept her orders. I give a weak smile in an attempt to reconcile. It must look either charming or ridiculous because she eases, her scowl fading. "Fine. Hurry up."

With quick nods, we scurry off before she has time to change her mind.

Get in, get out, minimal contact. Piece of cake.

Or so I thought.

We maneuver well with Cloud's keen eye. I'm impressed with how much information he was able to take in just watching the guards. He knows the precise movements and actions of the men and for the most part, we are able to smoothly evade the guards.

Until a whistle rings and the shifts change. The current guards enter buildings for break while new ones exit for duty. We're spotted almost immediately.

We aren't even granted time to readjust before a wave of fresh grunts surround us, their barrels pointed at our chests.

I draw my sword and Cloud follows suit. We stand back to back. "So much for minimal conflict, huh?" he says over his shoulder.

"We can take these guys no problem!" I reply, grinning as adrenaline begins to pump through my veins. "There's only, what, four of them? We'll be done in no time!"

"Uh, Zack?" Cloud starts. "I think there's more than four."

"Huh?" I peer over my shoulder to see six more guards running towards us. My eyebrows nit slightly but I don't lose my cool. "So it'll take a teeny bit longer." I grip my hilt. "Might as well get started!"

We cut through the first volley easily, but the second group arrives just as quickly. They surround us, keeping Cloud and I from escaping. They've trained their guns at us, but we're able to deflect the poor shots they send our way. By the time we manage to dispose of the second group, another takes its place. It was like they had an endless supply of guards.

We start to feel weak at the seventh group. We're breathing heavily and the adrenaline starts to wear off. "Damn." I rasp. "How many more of these guys have they got?"

"Hopefully not much." Cloud replies, just as winded as I am. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

We strike down the last two guards and pray they were the end; only to have our hopes dashed as eight more come charging at us. I nearly collapse in desperation and fatigue. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"There's so many," Cloud says, hopelessness in his voice.

"Protect your honour, Cloud." I force myself to straighten and hold my head high. "We're not going down without a fight."

He nods and we attack once more.

We're only able to whittle off three guards before Cloud collapses. I keep fighting as best as I can, but exhaustion makes me careless and a bullet grazes my upper arm. My flesh tears and I am forced to drop my sword from the pain and weariness.

The remaining five guards keep us encircled. They aren't sure whether to kill or capture us. I try to move, but my body screams at me and the guns keep me down. Cloud is huffing behind me. "Sorry."

I grit my teeth in frustration. This shouldn't have happened. "Don't be." I say. "It's not your fault."

There's silence until he speaks again. "It's not yours either."

The guards seem to decide we're not captive worthy. One steps forward and aims at my head. "Yeah." I whisper, closing my eyes and waiting for the trigger to pull. "We both fought honorably."

I'm expecting the usual exploding _bang_ of the gun, but am met instead with a zap of lightning. My eyes shoot open to find the guard no longer standing in front of me, but smoldering a few feet away. I do a sweep around to find the other four in the same state. I check Cloud. He's fine. The both of us are unharmed.

"How sentimental." Felicity jumps down from the roof of one of the lesser warehouses. Her hand is sparking as little lightning bolts dance between her fingers. "Sorry I ruined the moment. Just thought you'd both enjoy living through this 'little mission'. So much for two operatives."

The rush of relief I feel when I see her is immeasurable. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't think I'd really stay behind, did you? There was no way I wasn't going to let you guys have all the fun."

"Oh yeah." I grunt as I slowly stand. "'Cause we were having _so much fun._"

She smirks and offers a hand to Cloud. He graciously accepts and she helps him to his feet. Once he's stable, she let's go. Her eyes catch on my crimson-stained arm. "That looks nasty." She comes closer and takes my arm, inspecting the wound I sustained. My face grows warm. "It's really deep, but it could have been worse. You're lucky it went through." She looks up at me. "Does it hurt?"

The ladies' man takes over. I puff out my chest and smirk. "Nah. Takes more than a little cut to faze me."

"He's lying," Cloud says, deflating my smooth persona. "He dropped his sword when he got hit. Zack never drops his sword."

Felicity riffles through one of her uniform pockets and tosses small bags to Cloud and I. "Here. I raided some supply containers while you guys were playing spies. These should help."

We opened the bags to find small vials of x-potion. We uncork and down them. Our aches immediately vanish and our energy returns. It's like a refreshing wave of peace and happiness has washed over us. Cloud stretches and grins. I check my arm to find it healed. I performed an exuberant squat, feeling like a million gils.

"There. You both look much better." Felicity says. She's standing with her hands on her hips and in all honesty, I'm just waiting for her to begin lecturing us on how we should have brought her with us and how we were wrong to make her stay behind. But she simply stoops and picks up one of the guards' discarded guns. "Well," she takes off the safety, "let's get going."

She starts toward the warehouse.

Cloud and I are left picking up our jaws. He sends me an incredulous look. "She saved our lives and didn't rub it in. She didn't even yell at us for being sexist!"

I chuckle and we follow, watching Felicity with twinkling eyes as she turns and calls for us to hurry up. "Yeah. She sure is something, isn't she?"

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	4. Confronting Genesis

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**Here's the next chapter. It's long and super epic!**

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The warehouse is just as frigid as the climate outside. I have to do a couple of squats just to warm my blood. "We better keep moving."

Cloud rubs his hands together for friction. "Which way should we go?"

Felicity gestures to the stairs in front of us. "Considering I only see one possibility, I guess we're going down."

Our steps echo on the metal as we descend and are joined by several other pairs ascending. Cloud and I draw our swords as three guards rush at us. "One for each of us," I say, grinning at the easy set-up.

"Think you boys can handle it?" Felicity smirks.

I throw her a fake scowl. "Very funny."

The guards are nearly upon us. Cloud notices Felicity's combat stance. "You're not using your sword?"

"Nope. I'm more for hand-to-hand. _Somebody_ had to break up Angeal and Genesis' petty squabbles growing up. Though I also dabble in magic," she showed us her fingers which had ignited. "as I'm sure you already know since I saved your butts."

"And the gun you picked up?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow.

"In case I run out of energy." She replies nonchalantly as the guards start firing at us. "Here we go!"

With a couple swings of our swords, Cloud and I quickly dispatch our designated guards in time to see Felicity hurl a ball of fire at hers. He's engulfed by the flames and collapses to the floor, his clothes and flesh still burning. A frown sets over Felicity's features and she outstretches her hand. She forms a hovering ball of water and drops it on the guard, extinguishing the blaze. He's still.

Cloud and I send her inquisitive stares. "What?" she asks, like what she did was natural. "We're mercenaries, not monsters. Just because we have to kill doesn't mean we have to slaughter. All humans deserve some kind of respect even if they make the wrong life choices." She folds her arms to her chest as she shivers. "Now let's keep going. My ears are going numb."

Her words strike a chord with me. I repeat them in my head as we continue down the stairs. Felicity may only be an infantryman, but she had the soul of a 1st Class SOLDIER. Her sense of honour could rival Angeal's. It was no surprise they grew up together. They were so similar; their military prowess, humour, spirit and dignity. Had I not cared for Felicity I would have been put off with jealousy.

_How much do you care for her?_

I push the thought away as we reach the bottom floor.

Felicity is standing with her hands on her hips, staring at the elevator before her. "'Cause that makes a lot of sense. We go downstairs only to find an elevator that takes us up."

"Structural problem maybe?" Cloud guesses.

She shrugs. "I guess it doesn't really matter so long as it works." She pushes the button. "All aboard!"

I pass them both and stand in front of the doors. "I'm going first. Once the elevator returns for you, you can come up."

Felicity crosses her arms. "Oh not this again."

"I know you're both capable of combat. This is just something I have to do. As leader of this party, it's my responsibility to stabilize the situation before letting my team enter. This _is_ an order. You will wait until the elevator returns." There's a clatter as the gate opens. I step inside and offer them a smile. "It's just a precaution. I'll see you soon."

The gate closes and the lift ascends. I can hear Felicity complain to Cloud about me, using numerous colorful terms to describe my behavior but my grin simply widens. I know she's not serious. Her teasing is a form of affection. It's another characteristic she and Angeal share.

I start to hear voices as I near the top of the lift. I can't make out words, just muffled dialogue between two distinct voices. The elevator shutters to a stop and I can see Genesis and Hollander at a standoff through the gates.

Genesis has his sword pointed at Hollander. "The Jenova cells."

The gate slides open and I rush out, unsheathing my sword as I dash toward the two. With a slash, I knock Genesis' blade away with my own. Hollander scrambles behind me but I'm too busy keeping Genesis at bay to prevent him from escaping.

"Stop!"

From the corner of my eye I see Cloud nab Hollander. Felicity is standing close by. "I had a feeling something would be happening up here. And since I would never _dream_ of going against your orders, I found a nice loophole." She displays her glowing fingers. "Haste."

I send her an incredulous smirk before turning to Cloud- who continues to struggle against Hollander. "Cloud! Good work!"

But just as the words leave my mouth, Hollander breaks out of Cloud's grip at the same time Genesis counters my sword. Cloud falls to the floor and I'm forced back. Hollander comes up behind me. I counter his movements as he replies to Genesis. "But… nobody knows where the Jenova cells are being kept! Not even Hojo knows. You'll never find it!"

"Then I shall willingly accept my fate." Genesis says, running a hand over his sword. "But, I'll take the world with me!" He brings his blade down to clash with mine and we begin sparring.

I notice Hollander trying to squirm away. "Cloud, go!" He nods before running after the scientist and Genesis and I resume fighting.

"Genesis." From my periphery I see Felicity edging towards us, her voice the smallest I've ever heard it. "What happened to you?"

His gaze finds her and he breaks away from me with a swift stroke of his sword. He looks surprised yet awed as he just notices her now. His eyes are glazed but bright and an unsettling smile settles on his lips. "My goddess. You're here."

Felicity and I are stunned with confusion. She frowns. "No, it's me: Felicity."

"After all these years, we meet." He advances toward her. "I've waited so long…"

She retreats from him in small, unsure steps. "You already know me, Genesis. I'm Felicity. We grew up together in Banora with Angeal. We used to go adventuring in the woods behind my place. Don't you remember? You two looked after me. We were like siblings."

"You're here. No longer a figment. No longer a dream. You are here. Oh, my goddess." He reaches to her. I scowl. Something's very off.

He's too close to Felicity for either of our likings. I swing my sword down his path. "Not another step," I glower.

He slowly turns to regard me. His eyes are blank and he looks at me with disinterest. "Remove yourself from my goddess' presence, dog."

I stand firm. "Make me."

Quicker than lightning I'm cast aside with nothing but a red flash from Genesis' palm. I go sliding across the floor. I groan as the momentum ceases and I stop. My body aches. I struggle to stand, but collapse.

Through blurred eyes and ringing ears I watch Genesis approach Felicity. He reaches out to touch her face. "So beautiful. Indeed you truly are a goddess."

"But I'm not." Her voice's so quiet it breaks.

"And yet, my goddess, where is your gift? You hold radiance and spirit, yet where is your power? I sense meager magic stirring inside you, but nothing close to your magnificent gift. Have you yet to acquire it?"

"I don't-"

Genesis runs a hand up Felicity's back and grabs a fistful of brown curls just above the back of the neck. She tenses, a small wince escaping her mouth, but she keeps the majority of her composure. Rage starts bubbling in my stomach and I attempt to stand again.

I have to stop this.

"_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting_" He pulls and forces her to look into his eyes as he towers over her. "I have waited years for you, goddess." He brings his face dangerous close to hers. "I _need_ your gift."

"_What gift_?" Felicity grunts, Genesis still tugging on her hair.

I manage to get to my feet but I wobble into a rail.

"Are you hiding it from me? With your powers you could easily mask the radiance of you gift. Make yourself a diamond in the rough." His free hand runs across her check and he trails a finger down her neck. "Tell me, goddess, how can I find your gift? What must I do to lower your guard?"

His hand is freely wandering and Felicity struggles in his grasp. "Stop it!"

He yanks her head back again and she yelps. He presses her to him as he peers down at her. "Such melodious sounds from such luscious lips. Perhaps they are the key to unlocking your gift."

"_What_?"

I watch in horror as Genesis leans down to capture Felicity's lips with his own. Her eyes bulge as he uses the hand he has in her hair for leverage. She starts punching him the best she can, but he's got her hands pinned between them. My stomach turns as he forces his tongue into her mouth. I feel sick.

Suddenly Genesis recoils, his hand flying to his mouth as he curses. Felicity furiously wipes her lips. His once dreamy eyes turn violent as he scowls at her. "You _dare_ bite me!" he raises a hand as it charges with red energy. Felicity is left with no time to react as her childhood friend launches a ball of crimson aura toward her. She's hit square in the chest and is sent soaring across the room into the cement walls. Her body falls to the floor where she remains motionless.

Something in me snaps. Regardless of my wobbly legs, pounding head and screaming muscles, I pull myself to my full height and draw my sword. Genesis is tending to his tongue as he notices me. He smirks. I've had it.

"You bastard!" I yell as I charge at him. Our swords clash and we enter into a fray we both know only one will leave.

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**... The epicness level is over 9000!**

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	5. Aftermath

**Sorry this next chapter is short. It's kinda a transition scene to the next chapter (where Zack and Felicity run into Angeal)**

**Leave a quick review! I love to know what you think of the chapter and the story.**

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Genesis lies on the ground. He raises his head to utter, "Such is… the fate of a monster."

"We're not monsters, you hear me? We're SOLDIER!" I frown. "Where's your honor?"

Genesis crawls to his feet, stumbling. "_Even if the morrow is barren of promises," _he starts to take little steps back, "_nothing shall forestall my return._" He wobbles. "If this world seeks my destruction…" he rises into the air and hovers with a few beats of his wing. "…it goes with me."

Before I can do anything, Genesis lets himself fall over the rail, down to the pits of the reactor. I outstretch a hand and run to the edge, but he's too far down to reach. I watch helplessly as Genesis disappears into the darkness. I sigh. "Genesis…"

I hear a groan and whip around to find Felicity stirring. I run to her, sheathing my sword as I sprint. Her eyes flutter open as I kneel by her side. Her voice is small, but stronger than I had feared. "Zack?"

I smile down at her. "Heya. How ya feeling?"

"Terrible," she admits. "My muscles kill and it feels like my head is going to explode. Not to mention one of my best friends has turned into a delusional maniac that thinks I'm some kind of goddess..." She pauses. "Where is Genesis?"

I hesitate. Would Felicity hate me for defeating her childhood friend? What would she say if I told her he practically jumped into the reactor? Would she even believe me? I take a deep breath. She deserved the truth. "I attacked him after he hit you and we ended up battling. I wore him down to the point where he struggled to stand, yet he didn't give in. Instead he flew into the air and… let himself fall into the reactor." I avert my gaze, not wanting to see her disappointed eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she says. "That man wasn't the Genesis I used to know." I chance a glance and peer down at her face. There's a reassuring smile on her mouth, but her eyes hold sadness. We sit in an awkward silence and Felicity changes the subject. "Where's Cloud?"

"He went after Hollander. That's all I know."

"We should go then," she says and attempts to sit up.

I catch her grimace and force her back down. "You're still hurt. Rest a bit."

"Oh yes," she says, her tone laced with so much sarcasm I knew she would be fine in no time. "This floor is just _so_ comfy to lie on."

I grin as the ladies' man persona sets in again. "Wanna use my lap for a pillow?"

She replies with a playful smirk. "In your dreams, Fair."

I smile. Yup. She would definitely be fine.

I'm suddenly struck with an epiphany. Rummaging through my gear, I find the bag Felicity had tossed me earlier. There were still two vials of x-potion inside. I remove one and replace the bag. "Think you can drink this?" I ask, showing her the potion.

"Don't give me that," she says. "You might need it later."

"Don't be so stubborn." I slide a hand under her neck to help her sit up. I settle her in my lap as I uncork the vial. "You were the one who wanted to catch up with the others."

"I was just thinking of you. What will you do when you run out of potions and I'm not there to save you?"

I chuckle at her spunk. I put the vial to her lips. "Just drink." I tilt the vial back and she swallows. "Good, girl."

"Don't patronize me, Fair," she says, her fingers dancing with electricity. "Now that my strength's back, I can zap you with so many volts your hair will be a permanent afro."

"I know you won't," I smirk, running a hand through my locks teasingly. "You love it too much."

She snorts. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I laugh and stand, offering a hand to Felicity. She accepts though she doesn't need it and I pull her to her feet. Feeling a crisp jolt course through me I pulled back with a yowl. I throw her a glare. She grins innocently. It's on. "You'll pay for that."

"I'm quivering in my boots!" She taunts.

"That's it!" I take a swipe at her but she dashes out of my reach. We laugh as I chase her and we play cat and mouse until we're outside in the snow again.

My laughter dies as I call out. "Tseng?" There's no answer. I do a quick sweep of the area. "Hmm… Cloud's gone, too."

"Hey, Zack!" Felicity's pointing to a semi-iced tunnel to the west. "What about this?"

"Hm?" I move closer. "I guess this is the way to Modeoheim…"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She rolls her eyes at me and heads for the tunnel. "Come on. Let's go find the others."

I chuckle as I follow. "How come nobody ever lets me lead?"

* * *

**REVIEW**


	6. Entering the Bathhouse

Modeoheim is this little village that is part industry and part bumpkin. Since they're so close to the Mako Excavation Facility, almost half of the citizens are Shinra workers. Their gear is stashed around the buildings, dusted with snow and I have to keep Felicity's curious hands from going through it, reminding her we have to find Tseng and Cloud. It's pretty much the only time I get away with ordering her around.

We check some doors, but they're all locked. We walk around until we find an old bathhouse. There's no door, just an empty archway. I cautiously step inside. Light streams in from the poorly boarded windows. The inside is decrepit and rotten, planks of wood strewn here and there.

"Jeez," Felicity says stepping over a pile of rubble. "This place is falling apart. Is it even safe in here? I feel like the ceiling is going to come down on us."

I knock on a wall. It stays in one piece. "Seems stable enough."

"Whatever," she rolls her eyes and treads lightly across the room. "If the roof collapses and buries us alive, I'm blaming you."

I grin and meander around the room. "Ye of little faith. I've got a great intuition you know."

"Oh yeah?" she asks, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Then tell me, Mr. Know-it-all, where do we go from here?"

I gulp subconsciously. _Smooth move, Zack_. I decide to guess. There were only two halls stemming from this room so I had a 50/50 shot of guessing right. I point to the one on the left. "That way."

We pass through the doorway and a wall of tepid air hits us like an enormous stale yawn. The room is uncomfortably warm. We wander further into the room and discover a bath. Steam rises up from the red waters. Glancing over the surface for anything pertinent, we're interrupted by the sound of beating wings. We whirl around. My heart is soaring at the prospect of Angeal but we're greeted instead by a large beast with wings. Lion body and eagle head; a griffon. It snarls at us- or makes the closest thing to a snarl that an eagle head can make.

I unsheathe my sword as we fall into combat stances. "Oh, yeah." Felicity jeers lightheartedly. "_Great_ intuition."

The griffon attacks before I can rebut.

At first the battle seems to be going well. I land a fair share of hits with my sword and I get to see Felicity in action. Her movements are agile and incredibly nimble. She dodges every swipe the griffon throws at her and counters it with magic. Her shots never miss and her spells are powerful. She's like a deathly dancer the way she maneuvers the battle. And I think we have an easy win…

Until the griffon starts shooting fire back at us.

The first blast totally catches me off guard and grazes my leg, singeing my trousers. I'm startled, but my skin is left unharmed. I scowl. "So, you wanna play like that, huh?"

I add in some spells of my own. They're weaker than Felicity's, but they seem to help wear the griffon down. Had it not continued to hurl fire at us, the battle would have ended sooner.

The outcome was the same though. The griffon collapsed onto the ground and after a minute, we deem it defeated.

I catch a strange face on the top of its head. I frown. "An Angeal monster…" Then I perk. "Is the real Angeal here, too?"

"It's possible," Felicity says, a hopefully smile blooming on her lips. She heads towards the set of stairs on the other side of the room. "Come on, let's go look for him!"

I chuckle and go after her.

Felicity reaches the top of the stairs before I do. I see her recoil a little as her eyes widen in shock. "Cloud!" she exclaims, breaking into a run. Alarmed, I sprint to follow her.

When I reach the landing I see Cloud lying face down on the metal floor, unmoving. I'm taken aback. "Hey!"

Felicity kneels beside him as I come up. He's coming too. "Ngh…" He pushes himself off the ground, Felicity poised to help if he needed it.

I stoop and try and catch his expression, concerned. "Cloud! Talk to me!"

He gets his feet under him and tries to stand, but stumbles backwards. Felicity and I subconsciously reach out our hands to help but he just holds his own out, dismissively. "We're all right…"

Felicity looks him over as he sits and rests. I notice another figure quiet by a doorway. The hair and suit is a dead giveaway. "Tseng!?" I leave Cloud to Felicity and rush over to the Turk.

He's sitting with his back to the wall, a hand on his stomach. I crouch to his level. "Tseng!"

His head rises slightly to meet my gaze. He weakly points with a thumb over his shoulder to the hall behind. "Down that way… You have to catch Hollander." He lowers his hand and peers at me carefully. "Angeal… is waiting for you."

I nod and stand, taking deep breaths. Catch Hollander. Angeal is waiting. Duty called.

I turn to regard Cloud and Felicity. She's reading the atmosphere and is sending me a warning glare. "Don't you dare."

I avoid eye contact. "It'll be dangerous. It'd be better if you stay here and look after Cloud."

She stands, completely enraged. "Damn it, Fair! How many times are you going to belittle me? You've seen what I can do. Do I have to recount how many times I saved you? We both know very well that I can kick your ass! I had to witness one of my childhood friends go insane before he threw himself into a mako reactor. And if he says Angeal is through that door, by damn I'm going." She gets right in my face and points a finger at my chest, her eyes flashing in anger so intense it's almost seductive. "So don't you dare tell me it's too dangerous."

She brushes passed me aggressively and I'm left stunned, apprehensive and slightly aroused.

"You know," Cloud sends me a sly, incredulous look, "she's pretty hot when she's mad."

My eyes are trained on Felicity as she simmers by the doorway. Tseng is trying to calm her down, but her outburst has surprised even him and he seems wary of her temper. I'm somewhat out of breath. "Tell me about it."

He chuckles. "You better let her go. She'd never let you hear the end of it. Probably fry you with magic too."

I pry my gaze away from Felicity to send Cloud a look. "What about you?"

He waves me off. "I'll be fine. I've still got some x-potion left. Go on. Angeal's waiting."

I give him an appreciative nod. "Okay. Take care."

"Thanks, you too. And good luck." He looks over at the fuming Felicity with a smirk. "You might need it."

* * *

**Sorry for not updating in a while. I bought a Gameboy Advance SP and I've been playing pokemon Crystal and Harvest Moon when not in class.**

**I know I mentioned before that this chapter would be where Zack and Felicity meet with Angeal, but things got away from me as usual. It will absolutely happen next chapter.**

**That being said, you'll need to send me lots of encouragement so I'll put down the nintendo and write, okay? And feel free to give me a nudge if you think I should be updating sooner. **

**_Reviews give me incentive to write, so if you want the next chapter, REVIEW!~_**


	7. Reunited

After adventuring through numerous corridors, maintenance rooms, bath chambers and even a cluster of pipes linking two sections of the bathhouse together along the outer perimeter of the building, we come to a doorway leading to a secluded room. I catch a glimpse of wings inside and a few white feathers stray in the hall.

Felicity stops me before I head in, stepping in front of my path. She folds her arms. "Two minutes."

I tilt my head. "Huh?"

"I'm giving you two minutes to sort whatever you need to with Angeal. After that, I'm coming in. He waited for _you, _after all. It's only fair."

I smile. "Thanks. It won't be long."

"Yeah, yeah," a corner of her mouth tugs. "Just get going already." I nod and walk on but she stops me after a few steps, "Oh, and Zack! Don't do anything stupid!"

"Yes, mom!"

She rolls her eyes at me while I smirk in return. I enter the room.

I immediately sober as soon as I see Angeal. His back is facing me, but the aura he emanates is grim. I take a minute to soak in the atmosphere, then I approach with a deep breath. Both hands find my hips as I meander towards Angeal. His head swivels over his shoulder to regard me. "It should have been me… I should have dealt with Genesis."

"Yeah…" I say, slightly off put, "then why did you send me?"

"To prepare you…" He whirls around to face me, drawing his sword to point between my eyes, "for your next fight."

I'm flummoxed and angry. "Have you lost it?"

Instead of responding, Angeal swings his sword down at me. I back-step out of the way only to twirl right to avoid his horizontal slash at my neck. I hold out a hand. "Stop it!"

He pauses. "Someone's waiting for you, no?"

Felicity.

Cloud.

I slowly reach for my sword. "Angeal… don't do this…"

We circle each other before Angeal swings at me. I'm forced to counter and we break into a battle. Our swords clang and spark as they grind against each other. We end up locked in a stalemate, our blades pushing opposite ways until Angeal thrusts me back. I stumble and fall to the floor. Angeal towers above me, his buster sword poised over my chest.

"No!" Felicity knocks Angeal's blade away with a parry from her infantryman sword. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Angeal seems frozen. His face is stuck in stunned shock. His arm slowly brings his sword to his side as he looks at her incredulously. "Felicity?" His voice is oddly quiet and unsure, like he's unsure whether she's an apparition or not.

"Yeah, it's me." She turns to me, bending to grab my hand. She yanks me to my feet. "And I thought I told you not to do anything stupid. What on earth were you two thinking, attacking each other?"

Angeal's still a deer in headlights. "What are you doing here?"

"I came after you. When you and Genesis joined SOLDIER, I wanted to go too. But they wouldn't let me in because of those stupid female recruit age restrictions, damn sexists. They put me in the infantry to train until I was nineteen."

"How old are you?" I ask, the question just dawning on me.

"Eighteen. A couple months and I'll be accepted into SOLDIER." She smirks. "Better watch out, Fair."

Angeal was slowly recovering from astonishment. His eyes are still wide, but he isn't a statue any longer. He sheaths his sword. "You've grown so much."

"Five years can do wonders. Gotta love puberty."

A tiny smile morphs on Angeal's face only to transform into a frown. "You shouldn't be here."

"I missed you," she says, slightly crestfallen. "You and Genesis just up and disappeared to join SOLDIER. Do you know how lonely I felt? I thought we were like family and you just… leave me behind."

"We were protecting you."

"I know that!" She snaps. I cringe, but Angeal takes it. Felicity deflates. "You were my only friends. You didn't even say goodbye…"

Angeal looks away. "You shouldn't be here."

Felicity stares at him with sad eyes. I want to comfort her, but I know I can't interfere. Her gaze shifts to Angeal's wings. "You're not like Genesis, you know."

His eyes snap to hers. "You saw Genesis?" And suddenly he was keen to hide his wings, like he was ashamed Felicity saw them.

"We met him at the Mako Excavation Facility but… he wasn't our Genesis. He was delusional, mad. The boy we knew growing up was gone. You're still the same, Angeal. You're still the big brother I never had."

Angeal frowns. "Delusional?" He looks to me.

"Just with her," I answer the silent question. "He was normal when I met him. But once he saw Felicity, it was like he was in a trance. He kept calling her his goddess." I decide to leave out the part where he kissed her. Something told me Angeal would be even angrier about it than me.

"Genesis and his obsession…" Angeal mutters darkly. "The monster in him has twisted his desires… It's only a matter of time before the same happens to me."

"You're not a monster!" Felicity exclaims.

Angeal looks at her. "You need to leave."

"Why?" Felicity asks testily, her temper rising. "So you two can fight again? No way!"

"I don't want you to be part of this." Angeal says, raising a hand. Light began to circling his fingers.

Felicity growls. "Don't you dare!"

Before either of us can react, Angeal hurls an aura sphere at her. A flash of light erupts and fades, leaving Felicity inactive. She is stuck with a scowl on her face and her hand preparing a counter spell.

"What'd you do?!" I ask, shocked. I wave a hand in front of her face but she remains still.

He draws his sword again. "Stop spell. She'll reenter time after a while. Until then-" He swings at me again and, to my dismay, our previous fight resumes.

* * *

**Tada! Relatively quick update!**

**Thanks again for your reviews! I'm delighted Felicity has become such a hit ^.^**

**There is one more chapter (hopefully) to go before we go to the little time skip where Zack changes his fair/ becomes 1st. We will then proceed to Nibelheim where s*** gets real.**

**Keep reviewing for it makes me happy and keeps me writing! **


	8. Fall Like Rain

"Very good, Angeal!"

Angeal and I pause our battle to look up at the new voice.

Hollander appears from the doorway, approaching closer. "It is time to exact vengeance for our family's suffering!"

I cast a glance at Angeal. "Family?"

"No! My father is dead!" Angeal breaks our swords apart with a fierce upper thrust. I back away.

"Fine," Hollander says, "then do it for your mother."

"My mother's shame made her take her own life," Angeal growls.

"Shame? How terribly misguided! She should have been proud…Proud that she was the namesake of our experiment. 'Project G,' or should I say, 'Project Gillian.'

Angeal grabs Hollander by the collar of his shirt. "Don't say her name!"

Hollander continues, unfazed. "Gillian, the woman implanted with Jenova cells." He breaks away. "Genesis, who had her genes mapped onto him during the fetal stage. Yes, Genesis was a failure, I'll admit it. But you, Angeal… You were actually bred inside Gillian's body. You…" He raises his arms as he looks towards the ceiling in praise, "You are perfection."

Angeal shoves him away angrily before spinning on his heel to walk passed me. "Zack," he says solemnly, "I am perfect. A perfect… monster." He faces me, his expression pained. "My cells can absorb genetic traits, and pass them along to others."

Hollander gets to his feet. "A two-way conduit… Jenova's power had passed on to you completely."

Angeal scowls at him. He then squeezes his eyes shut in an indignant reminiscence. "Zack, do you remember what I said? About our enemy being all that creates suffering?" He takes slow steps until he's a few feet behind me. We stand back to back.

"Yeah…" I say over my shoulder, "but you're not one of them."

His voice floats back to me, aggrieved. "But I created my own suffering." I hear his boots on the floor as he turns to me. "Zack, let me show you."

I come about with hesitant steps until Angeal and I are facing each other.

Hollander yells from the sidelines, "Stop it! You don't know what you're doing!"

Angeal raises a hand above his head and suddenly beasts appear behind me. I whirl around and bring my sword in front, prepared to strike. There's four creatures in total and I recognize either the same griffon Felicity and I fought before, or its cousin.

"Damn!" Hollander cries and lunges at Angeal's head, groping for a hair. "At least one sample!"

Angeal thrusts him back so he falls to the ground.

The beasts are set off and they charge. My muscles tense for combat, but they pass by me. My sword slices air as I turn. "Angeal!"

To my horror, the monsters have surrounded Angeal, coming at him from all angles. Angeal's scream are garbled and ghastly and my stomach churns. I vaguely hear Hollander's frantic footsteps as he runs out of the room in terror, but most of my attention is focused on the now glowing dog pile that encased my friend. The light emanating from them flashes with an intensity so bright I have to shield my eyes.

Once the brilliance fades, I lower my arms only to find an entirely new creature where Angeal had been. Four legs, three swishing blue tails each with a spike on the end, a snapping mouth where a torso would be, cobbled together with a shield, trident, a white wing and a twisted form of Angeal's head. It shifts on its paws, anxious to fight and when I do nothing, it takes a preemptive strike. Twirling the trident in the air, the beast jabs it forward. The sharp edge of an end tong slices my cheek. It stings and I feel blood ooze from the gash but I have more important matters to attend to.

"Angeal," I gaze at what used to be my friend. Anger bubbles within me, "what happened to honour!?" I clench a fist and visibly shake, my emotions running rampant. After everything Angeal did for me, for SOLDIER, for Felicity… how could he give in? He wanted so badly to prove he was the monster he wasn't.

I grit my teeth and clasp my sword. This ended now.

* * *

With a final blow, I strike Angeal down. Streams of light slither around his body, encompassing him. When it fades, the beasts are gone and all that's left is a broken man lying on the floor serenaded by scattered feathers.

My heart shatters as I peer down at him. He's weathered; bruises lining his chin and a cut across his eyebrow. He's turning white like Genesis, his body degrading. "Zack," he says weakly, "you have my thanks."

I kneel down on one knee beside him, my chest heaving as tears begin to well in my eyes.

"This…" he raises his buster sword with what little strength he has left. His voice rasps. "is for you."

I look at him incredulously. He gives me a nod.

My grief escapes my mouth in shaky breaths. My fists are clenched so tight my nails would be digging into my skin had I not been wearing gloves. I squeeze my eyes shut and will my emotions to ease. With a few undignified snivels, I look at the sword. My hands take the hilt.

There's a friendly glint in Angeal's eyes as he says, "Protect your honor, always…" He lets a breath before his head rests on the steel floor. I'm almost scared he's gone, but his eyes are still focused on my face and his chest still rises and falls.

There's a little flash behind us and I hear a terrified gasp. "No!"

Felicity runs to us, having finally reentered time. She drops to her knees beside me, gazing down in disbelieving woe at Angeal. She reaches out and touches his face, her fingers gently tracing his wounds. Her voice is riddled with sorrow. "What have you done?"

He brings a hand to cover hers. "I've rid the world of one more monster."

"You're not a monster!" she yells, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm not human." He replies. "What's done is done."

"You can't leave me!" Felicity cries. "I already lost Genesis. I can't lose you too! Please!"

"I'm sorry…" He looks away from her to me. "Zack. You'll take my place. You'll become the heart of SOLDIER. Encourage the new recruits. Makes sure honour is upheld. You'll be my legacy, understood?"

I nod, forcing my tears to remain at bay. "Understood."

"That includes looking after Felicity." A ghost of a smile tugs at his lips. "I know she can be a handful, but her heart is true. Keep her safe, she's a special girl."

"I know that." I grin halfheartedly. "I'll keep us both safe."

"Good." Angeal returns his gaze to Felicity. I can see her distraught expression breaks his heart as much as it breaks mine, if not more. "I'm sorry I wasn't a very good big brother."

Tears are freely flowing down her face. She clutches his hand and tries to smile. "You were the best big brother."

His final breath is let out through a laugh before he goes still. His eyes close and his chest doesn't move. Felicity and I are stuck with grief. She chokes on her sobs as they wrack her and she weeps, never letting go of his hand.

My throat burns but I don't let tears come. I hold Angeal's sword, his words echoing in my head. "_Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams… and honour."_

I would be Angeal's legacy. I'd embrace my dreams and hold my honour high. I'd be a hero.

I watch Felicity cry. It tears me apart.

It starts to rain.

I reach around and pull her into my arms. She sobs into my chest and I finally let myself cry. She never lets go of Angeal's hand and I never let go of his sword.

* * *

**Writing this chapter probably made me more sad than when I watched the scene in Crisis Core D:**

**Did you cry at all? What'd you think?**

**First arc is now completed. **

**Next chapter marks the start of the second half. It's probably worth mentioning that there will probably be a bunch of time skips throughout the next part of the story as I only have the strength to write scenes I find pertinent to the plot and/or relationships. I will warn you before hand if I have skipped over anything in the chapter posted. **

**Make sure you REVIEW! I really want to know your reactions to this chapter!**


	9. The Woman in Shadows

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.**

**The first part is kinda boring as it gives a recap of the bits I skipped over, but at least it's short.**

* * *

It shames me to say that I was unable to follow Angeal's orders.

That day in the bathhouse was the last time I saw Felicity.

Tseng and Cloud came to find us once they were healed. We gave Angeal a proper burial outside town. The moment was brief, but it gave us a chance to say our last goodbyes. On the way back, Felicity and I walked beside each other, quiet, sharing in a silent bond of sorrow and kinship. The sole consolations of the day were that I found and captured Hollander lurking in Modeo and that Tseng, Cloud and Felicity were safe.

As soon as we returned to Shinra, I was whisked away from the others to give Lazard a full report of the events that passed. When I came back, Felicity was gone.

I was promoted to 1st Class the following day, but the company immediately put me on standby, saying I had been through a lot and needed some rest. However, after a few incidents with renegade Genesis copies, my "vacation" was cut short, and I was sent to Junon. I met up with Cloud and hoped I would run into Felicity too, but it never happened. Whenever I asked the company where she was, they told me the information was classified.

* * *

I'm down in the SOLDIER hall, waiting for our troops to round up. Sephiroth said we were to go and investigate the disappearances of a number of SOLDIER operatives in the north. In addition, we'd also look into the emergence of monsters as well as a possible malfunctioning mako reactor in the area.

I turn the corner to find a blond Shinra troop idling in the hall. "What's up?" I ask him.

"I'm having a little trouble rounding up the group…"

"We're in a hurry," I say, approaching, "let's move it."

"Sir!" The troop stands at attention and I get a good look at his face.

"Wha—Cloud?" I exclaim, astonished. A huge grin sets across my face. I hold up my hand and we bump forearms. "Together again, eh? All right!"

He grins. "Thanks. Hold on, I'll get everyone."

He runs off. I smile.

"You changed your hair."

I jump, startled, and whirl around. A few feet away, a woman is leaning against the wall. She's wearing formfitting black pants and a matching pair of onyx boots. I notice the female version of the typical navy, higher-rank SOLDIER shirt on underneath her unique coat. The ebony material stops around the widest part of her hips, tapering in to show off her figure even more than the pants did- and I've got to say, it was quite a sight. Darker dye swirls around the fabric, making it seem like she's wearing shadows. The connected hood is raised, obscuring all of the woman's face save fair skin and full lips. I resist the urge to whistle.

"I kinda like it. Makes you look more mature." She pushes off the wall and advances toward me.

"Yeah?" I ask, my voice settling into the suave, charming tone I saved for the ladies.

She smirks and sashays closer. "Mm… Much handsomer than before."

I cock an eyebrow mischievously. "You think?"

"Oh yeah. I bet the girls are falling all over themselves just to look at you."

"Care to join them?

"Tempting."

She's a few feet away now and my ego is exceptionally stroked. I pull the cheesiest line. "Yes, you are."

"Do you talk to all women like this?" she asks, coming within centimeters of me now.

I grin. "Only ravishing ones like yourself."

"My, you are a sweet talker." Her chest touches mine and she reaches a hand up to comb through my hair. "But I think you might need to cool your head."

Suddenly a cold wave crashes down on my head. The frigid temperature and sheer shock of the impact makes me jolt. I cry out in alarm. I'm soaked.

The woman starts roaring with laughter. She twirls on her heels, giggling like a schoolgirl. I'm left confused as she doubles over. "Ha! Ha! Damn, that was great! I should have taken a picture! Ha! Ha! Ha! Your face was _priceless_!" She can't control herself anymore. She bobs forward and back, unable to contain her laughter. As she throws her head back for a deep hoot, her hood falls away, revealing brown curls, impish features and glowing, pale-blue eyes repetitively squeezing shut with mirth.

My jaw drops. "Felicity?"

She snorts. "Took you long enough. I mean, I know the infantry armor hid my figure when we met, but you had no clue!" Snicker. "As if anyone would come onto you so boldly!"

I don't even care that she took a shot at my pride or that she doused me with water. I'm just happy to see her. "What are you doing here?"

She's calming down now. Only a few giggles escape her. "I weaseled into this assignment. I'd heard the rumors about Hollander's stolen experiment and the possibility of Genesis still being alive, so I needed in. That, I couldn't resist the opportunity to show you up on a legit mission."

I scoff. "I doubt a SOLDIER like you could show a 1st Class like me up." I take a minute to soak in her reaction at my status, but all she does is roll her eyes. "How'd you even convince Sephiroth to let you tag along?"

"I called him over the phone and volunteered. He graciously accepted the offer, happy to have another _1__st__ Class_ on the job."

My eyes widen and my mouth hangs open. "You're 1st Class?"

"Naturally." She smirks. "They let me into SOLDIER as soon as I was nineteen. Got promoted to 1st a month after, in August. When'd you get in?"

It's my turn to be haughty. "June. Looks like I beat ya."

"Whatever," She tosses me a teasing glare. "You know that I would have made 1st before you if the company wasn't so sexist." She eyes my uniform. "But seriously, you've been 1st for four months and _that's_ what you're wearing?"

1sts have the right to choose their own clothing rather than wear a designated uniform, but I was fine with what I already had. "Not all of us have the money to buy fancy outfits."

She glances down at herself. "Impressive clothes create impressive demeanor. I give off a powerful countenance that will make the enemy nervous."

I decide not to contradict her or mention that the buster sword on my back would do the same as her outfit. I knew from experience you could never win an argument with Felicity. Instead I present a genuine, white smile. "It's good to see you again."

Her teasing smirk is replaced by an honest grin to mirror my own. "It's good to see you too."

"I tried to find you countless times, you know… after Modeoheim. Where'd you go?"

Pain flashes across her face for a fraction of a second before she reverts back to cheerful. "I was around. The company decided to put me to good use once they saw what I was capable of. I guess you can add hypocritical to the list of Shinra's negative qualities."

I grin. "Well, all that matters is that you're here now and we can be together."

"Yeah." She smiles. "I hear Cloud's coming too. Looks like the country boys are reunited."

My eyes look her over. "I wouldn't call you a country boy."

She laughs and walks away, heading for the elevator. "Come on, Fair. Everyone's waiting."

* * *

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	10. Meetings

Felicity and I enter the briefing room. Three Shinra troops are waiting in a line inside. Cloud is one of them. They see me first.

They stand at attention and salute. "Sir."

"At ease," I say, offering them an encouraging grin. "Good work getting everyone together." I tell Cloud.

"No problem." He says, smiling. He's always happy to be praised. "Pretty small mission to have just the four of us and Sephiroth, huh?"

"Just because the mission's small, doesn't mean it's not important. And it's not just the four of us anymore." I look over my shoulder. Felicity steps in front of me.

"Howdy," she chirps. "Long time, no see."

The men don't really know how to act. They shift on their feet and mumble to each other, not used to female 1sts –especially ones like Felicity. Cloud is even more flummoxed, reacting exactly as I did when seeing Felicity out of the huge infantryman garb. His eyes wander her figure, then her face. He manages to recover before drool slips out his mouth. "Uh yeah! You- you look great!" he says, a blush blooming on his cheeks.

She smiles. "Thanks. So do you."

"Really?" he beams incredulously.

She nods. "Yup. You've grown some. You're taller than before. Bet you're stronger too."

He grins. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Can't wait to see you in action then. I expect you to show me how much you've improved. And don't call me ma'am. We've been through enough together to drop the formalities, yeah?"

His eyes are bright. "Yeah."

I hear footsteps behind me and the troops straighten so they stand ramrod straight. I look over my shoulder to find Sephiroth. Our eyes meet and we nod at each other in recognition. His gaze then moves passed mine to sweep over the infantrymen and finally settle on Felicity. "Am I to assume that you're the 1st who called me?"

"Yes, sir," She says politely but confidently, not shying away in Sephiroth's intimidating presence. "My name is Felicity White. It's nice to meet you."

He extends his hand to her palm up. "The pleasure is all mine." After a second's hesitation, she offers her hand and Sephiroth gently takes her fingers. His lips brush against her knuckles genteelly before he allows her to have her hand back. "Angeal and Genesis spoke of you often. I have always wanted to meet the famed Felicity Fly."

"Ugh," Felicity huffs, frowning as her feathers ruffle. "I'd thought they'd stopped with that silly nickname!"

"'Felicity Fly?'" I ask, a hand on my hip as I ponder the term. "What's that about?"

"The townspeople in Banora liked to call me that. They said my nimbleness made it seem like I flew through the forest." She folds her arms. "But Genesis and Angeal would use it in the sense that I was a fly, buzzing around and annoying the two of them."

"A gesture of affection," Sephiroth says with a soft smile. "I assure you, you were very important to the both of them, so don't take their past taunts to heart. After all, we always tease those we love."

My gaze and Felicity's accidentally meet. Our eyes snap to opposite ends of the room. My face is warm and I think I catch a pink tint in her cheeks.

Sephiroth has a lingering smirk, watching me knowingly, almost mockingly.

I'm keen to start a new conversation. "By the way, where are we going?"

He decides I'm not worth ridiculing. "To Nibelheim." I notice Cloud's face lights up. "We leave immediately."

That's one of the things I like about SOLDIER. There's never any dilly-dallying. Once everyone is gathered, you head out. We pack light too. No need to prepare giant packs before leaving. You just up and go.

We're on the road to Nibelheim, traveling in a disorganized line with Sephiroth leading, Felicity, Cloud and I following in a row and the other two troops tagging behind.

Us country folk fall into easy conversation as we try to pass the time. "Excited to see your family?" Felicity asks Cloud.

He nods. "Yeah. It'll be nice to see my parents."

"Got any friends you want to see?" I ask.

"No."

"Girlfriend?" Felicity teases.

Cloud's face grows red. "Not really."

A sly smirk stretches my mouth. "You're blushing."

He quickly ducks his head. "Am not!"

"Yes you are." Felicity's expression is just as mischievous as mine as she sidles up to Cloud. "What's her name?"

He shies away from her, desperate to hide his face. "I don't have a girlfriend!"

I'm laughing now. "You don't have to hide it!"

"But I don't!" Cloud cries, his face absolutely crimson.

"Aw, come on!" Felicity hooks an arm around his neck. "Handsome, young guy like you? You've got to have a girl." She pinches his cheeks. "No one could resist this face."

"Get off!" He tries to shove her off, but a grin is spreading across his face.

We laugh and it feels good to goof off. We're so distracted we nearly run into Sephiroth. He's stopped.

I catch his expression and my mirth is gone. "What's wrong?"

He's looking around the path. "Something's not right."

Almost as soon as the words left his lips, a monstrous roar comes from above. All heads snap up to see a humanoid creature in the trees. We grab our weapons, Felicity's fingers spark.

The creature snarls at us before dropping down to the ground. It lands in front of us on its feet and we get a good look at it. Two legs, arms, a neck, head, mouth, nose, ears, eyes… had it not been covered in jagged spikes, it almost would have looked human. Almost. Its skin and the protruding thorns shrouding it were a melee of browns mixed with green speckles that matched the creature's haunting emerald eyes.

"What is that thing?" I ask.

"Most likely one of the renegade monsters we were sent to inspect," Sephiroth says, watching the monster carefully. "However, I've never seen a creature like this before."

"It's not native." Cloud offers, matter-of-factly.

Sephiroth frowns. "How did it get here?"

"Should be easy to take care of," I say, hefting my sword. "It's six against one."

The monster grunts and its eyes begin to glow. Its outline turns fuzzy and at first I think it's just my imagination until one of the infantryman rubs at his eyes. The creature takes a step towards us, another to the right, another to the left, all from the same spot. Everything is melting together and separating and I feel like I have vertigo. I'm so out of it, it seems like there's dozens of monsters instead of the one and I'm worried I've been hypnotized or drugged.

It's only when the beast's eyes stop glowing and its frame is stable that my dizziness fades. It's immediately replaced with utter confusion and shock as there are four identical monsters standing with the first. My jaw drops. "What?"

"It's duplicated itself," Sephiroth says, gripping his sword. "Be wary. Who knows what other tricks this creature has up its sleeve."

I roll a shoulder and prepare to fight. "At least the odds are still in our favor."

"Uh, Zack?" I look to my right to find Felicity staring numbly behind us. "You're gunna have to take that back."

I turn and an exasperated cry escapes me. "You've got to be kidding!" Four more monsters glare at me. "We're surrounded!"

"Not to mention outnumbered." Felicity adds. "We're going to have to take them all out at once or the survivors will just regenerate other copies. I can probably take two at a time."

"Ditto." I say.

"I'd like to say I could take two, but I think I better stay with one." Cloud says.

The infantrymen share a glance. "Same for us."

"Then two for me," Sephiroth concludes. "We better start before they attac-" A monster hurls a spike at us. Sephiroth's blade knocks it away. "So much for preemptive strike. Stay sharp and keep in sync with everyone's movements and this will be over swiftly."

We nod and face our designated enemies. The battle begins.

* * *

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	11. Unanswered Questions

Our first attempts fail.

The monsters are quick to attack and our focus immediately shifts from strategy to mindless defense. Even Sephiroth is less than graceful as he deflects the spikes constantly hurled in our direction. The seldom moments we aren't parrying attacks, we attempt to wear the beasts down so they can be struck down as a collective. This fails as well, as the sole creatures' weaknesses are apparently in health and defense. They tend to fall with one or two hits –a trait that should have made our battle simple had we been able to be offensive rather than defensive. Unfortunately, when we strike one down, its comrades resurrect it.

I deflect a spike soaring toward my arm with slash of my sword. My blade accidentally slices through the monsters before me and they evaporate into light and dust. I groan and slump a little. Would we ever get a change to kill all these things at once?

I move on to help one of the others and am greeted with a disheartening sight. Somehow, while everyone was defending themselves, the monsters managed to duplicate. Sephiroth was now fighting four beasts, Cloud and the infantrymen two each and an exhausted looking Felicity was struggling with five.

I rush to help her.

I'm only a few steps away when, in her fatigue, Felicity misses a spike and it sinks into the juncture between her shoulder and her collar. She cries out and the injury is her breaking point. She falls to her knees.

Anger and concern bubble inside me and I charge with raging emotion. I cut through all five monsters with a single slash and they dissolve into nothingness with anguished moans. I feel no remorse, worry dominating my brain and forcing out any pity. I dash to Felicity's side, crouching to her level. Her face is contorted in pain, but she tries to wave me off. "I'm alright."

"Don't lie to me." I gingerly reach toward the thorn imbedded in her shoulder. She flinches. "You're obviously hurt."

"I'll be fine." She reaches up to grasp the spike. She winces but yanks it out with a swift tug. A harsh grimace mars her face and she hisses. The spike is slick with blood. The hole in her shoulder is at least an inch and a half wide. I feel nauseous.

Sephiroth yells over his shoulder. "What's going on, Zack?"

"Felicity's wounded!" I shout back.

She scowls. "I'm fine." She brings her hand up to trace her gash. Green lights appear from her fingertips, a glow settles on her skin and the gory hole begins to close itself. Once her wound is fully healed, she lowers her hand and says matter-of-factly, "see?"

The others come to regroup around us. They encircle Felicity and I and face out, their weapons pointed at the remaining creatures. They deflect the projectiles coming towards us.

"Are you okay?" Cloud asks.

"Yeah." Felicity says. She rejects my offered hand and stands by herself. I don't take it to heart. She feels feeble enough without me making her feel weak. She doesn't need my help to stand.

"If we don't finish these guys off soon, _we'll_ be finished." Cloud says, hitting away more spikes. "We can't keep this up forever."

"We must attack in sync," Sephiroth says. "Focus on the targets and dodge accurately."

"Right!" we exclaim. I heft my sword and take on a trio of beasts. Felicity goes after a pair but her attacks lack their usual luster. Her combat stance is slack as well. Something's off. But there's no time to worry as defending ourselves takes up all concentration.

We still can't manage to kill the monsters together. The creatures seem intent on insuring our assaults are individual. Just as one of us sees the opportunity to strike, its partner assails us with a doubled amount of spikes. And when we do manage to whittle one off by sheer luck, the creatures use to same tactic to create a clone as a replacement.

"Agh!" I scream in frustration. "Sephiroth, this isn't working! What do we do?"

"Focus!" he yells back. "We must attack collectively!"

"We've been trying to!" I shout.

It's at this point that I notice Felicity falter. She weavers on her feet and only barely manages to zap away a spike aimed at her head. I see her dim eyes start to roll and I'm able to catch her just as she collapses. I check her neck and find a lethargic pulse. She's semiconscious, her eyelids opening and closing, her pupils unfocused. She flails her arms drowsily like she's having a nightmare. Her skin is pale yet hot and I'm stricken with concern.

I clutch her to me to protect her from any stray thorns. "Sephiroth!" I yell, distressed.

He turns back to find me cradling an ailed Felicity and his eyes widen. He briefly scans the area and takes in the situation. We're all tired and beaten and the monsters are spry and bounteous. As he begins to realize how hopeless things are, Sephiroth's eyes turn dangerous. He whirls upon the beasts, pulling to his full, intimidating height. With a deep breath he bellows furiously. "_Enough_!"

The creatures cease fire. They stand, almost frozen, stunned, staring at Sephiroth with blank expressions. The troops, Cloud and I wait with baited breath, expecting for some grand, final attack that would finish us. But it never comes. They just stand around, their eyes fixed on Sephiroth as if in a trance.

"Leave!" Sephiroth commands, still enraged.

At first there is no change and the monsters continue their gawking. Then they start shuffling, grunting as they take little steps back. Their pace quickens and they retreat back into the forest, their green eyes still locked on Sephiroth until they're out of sight.

My jaw is hanging open with astonishment. "What just happened?"

Sephiroth looks just as confused, his eyes owling. "I… I don't know."

Felicity groans from my lap. I look down to find her rousing; her fingers have got the same green glow that accompanied her cure spells. I brush some hair out of her eyes. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," she says, struggling to sit up. She looks worse than tired, but I don't press any further. She surveys the area. "Where are the monsters?"

"They left." I help her to her feet despite her resistances. "But we're not really sure why."

Cloud comes over. "Hey. Are you feeling better?" he asks Felicity.

She nods but I think she still looks pale. "Yeah, just fatigued. Sorry. I should have been more vigilant. Had I been paying closer attention to my health, I would have been able to heal before collapsing-"

"Stop it," I say sternly. "It's not your fault."

Sephiroth breaks out of his stupor and joins us as well. "Zack's right. The creatures are gone now and everyone's in one piece. Let's not dwell on what we could have done in a battle that ended in our favor." He looks down at his sword. He contemplates sheathing it, but after that encounter, he decides otherwise. "We should continue on before those beasts return. Keep a sharp eye on the surroundings and kill any monsters you might see on sight. We don't want another repeat of our recent brawl."

We nod in understanding and set out once more to Nibbelheim.

* * *

**What just happened? You'll have to wait and find out!**

**Quick little update. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Things at my University are getting busier and I'm finding it harder to write, so I'm sorry, but updates might take longer than usual. **

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	12. Nibbelheim and Dropped Bombs

We fall into single-file with Sephiroth in front as usual. The infantrymen are next with Cloud, Felicity and I in tow. I watch the trees and bushes off the path for monsters, but my gaze always shifts to Felicity. After her injury, she's been acting strange. Even now she is walking in silence, her head tucked in and her hands stuck in her pockets. But I can't bring myself to say anything.

Luckily we don't run into any more creature and we arrive at Nibbelheim before the sun sets.

Sephiroth stops just outside the town gate. "So, how does it feel?" he asks Cloud over his shoulder. "To be home after all this time. I have no hometown. I wouldn't know."

The others spread out from the line format so they can have a better look at the town. I approach Sephiroth. "Uh…what about family?"

He turns to face me. "My mother's name is Jenova. She died shortly after I was born. My father…" he trails off only to start laughing sarcastically. He brings a hand to his forehead and shakes his head at himself. "Why am I talking about this?" He turns back around. "Come on, let's go."

The five of them continue on into the town, but I'm left with a premonition. "Sephiroth's mother's name is Jenova? " I cross my arms, mulling the information over. "Huh…"

Cloud turns back. "Hey, Zack! You coming?"

I snap to attention. "Oh, yeah!"

The others are waiting by the doors of what I presume to be an inn. I rush over.

As soon as I join them, a voice chimes from behind. "Are you one of the SOLDIER people who've come to investigate?"

We turn around and see a girl in full cowgirl garb. Her hair is straight and black and reaches to her middle back. She watches us carefully, her gaze is focused on me, but she peers at Felicity every now and then curiously.

"Yeah," I say, "my name is Zack, and I'm with SOLDIER. 1st Class, mind you, 1st Class!" I joke.

She brings a knuckle to her lips as she thinks. "Huh."

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'Huh'?"

"Are there a lot of SOLDIER 1st Classes?"

"Nope, we're a small, elite group."

"They only sent two?"

"At first." I look over my shoulder to the others. "Originally there was just supposed to be me and Sephiroth, but then Miss Feisty over there," I gesture to Felicity, "decided to join the mission to show me up."

I smirk at Felicity, hoping she would come back with a snide remark. When she doesn't, I'm disappointed and nervous with concern. She's not acting herself; her spirit's faded. Something's very off.

The cowgirl eyes us. "Uh-huh…" And with that she turns on her heels and walks away, leaving me confused. I'm even more perplexed when she turns back as if to say something else to me, but she stops herself and runs off.

I fold my arms. "Weird girl…"

I return to Sephiroth and the others.

"We depart for the reactor at dawn," he tells us. "Make sure to get plenty of sleep. Only one of you needs to keep watch." He looks at me. "Make sure you get some rest as well." He heads for the doors of the inn. "Ah, that's right…" He looks over his shoulder. "You have permission to go visit friends and family, if you so wish." His gaze shifts to Felicity. "Except you. You are to come with me."

We're all surprised. Felicity looks apprehensive. "Why?"

Sephiroth is all seriousness. "You know why."

They stare at each other before Felicity gives in and follows Sephiroth. They enter the inn and the doors close behind them.

I try to process what just happened, but my brain seems frozen.

From my periphery, I notice Cloud has his helmet on and try to use it as a conversation starter in an attempt to pry my mind away from business that wasn't mine. I had no right to question Sephiroth's actions –even if I felt like I did. "Why are you wearing the mask?"

Cloud has to break out of his confused trance to answer me, but I know he's still interested about what just happened as he replies. "It's… personal."

"Weirdo." I smile, but my gaze drifts back to the door.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Cloud reminds me.

"I'm not a cat," I point out. "And I know something's wrong with Felicity. She's been acting weird. Haven't you noticed her spark is gone?"

"I have… and I want to help her too, but Sephiroth's probably got it covered."

I frown and stare at the door some more. I'm almost sick with worry. I make a decision. "I'm going to see what's up."

Cloud sighs but doesn't say anything else.

I go inside the inn.

A woman greets me from behind the counter. "Welcome! Make yourself at home."

"Uh… thanks," I say. "I'm actually just looking for some friends; a tall guy with long silver hair and a girl in black with brown curls."

"Oh," says the clerk. "They just went upstairs. I gave them a room key and let them on their way. They seemed to be in a hurry. And the girl seemed nervous."

_Nervous?_ "Can you tell me what room you gave them?" I ask.

She checks the wall of keys behind her. "Let's see… I gave them Room 12, I believe."

"Thanks!" I give a little wave before heading up the stairs.

I pass by door after door, trying to read the faded numbers painted on the wood. It's hard to tell whether a room is 12 or not and I even accidentally walk in on a man taking his shirt off in what was really Room 18. When I finally _do_ find Room 12, I first press my head to the door and listen for voices. I'm immediately unnerved when I don't hear anything.

I pace a little outside the door, wondering if I should go in or not. Cloud was probably right. Sephiroth probably had the situation under control. But when I check the doorknob out of curiosity and find it locked, I start to panic. My mind jumps to a list of things people would need to lock a door for and none of them are exactly reassuring.

My imagination is running wild and my stomach is doing back flips.

Finally, I decide I've had enough. I step back and raise my boot, delivering a swift, sturdy kick to the door. The feeble lock system gives out and the door swings open…

To reveal Sephiroth's mouth on Felicity's.

* * *

**I finished writing this after I found out my Literary Heritage paper was pushed back a few days and knew I had to post it regardless of the fact that I already updating today.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP since I have a feeling there will people some 'WTF's and dropped jaws after this gets read. **

**A few side notes worth reading:**

**I originally was going to leave out Tifa's little bit in the story because, frankly, I find it makes zero sense to the game and I find her slightly irritating. But since she does become slightly important to the plot, I decided to put in her introduction. Sorry it's kinda boring.**

**Also, next chapter will get a few questions answered, just to let you know :P**

**And finally, a reminder to REVIEW. I SUPER want to know what your reactions are to this little dropped bomb! **

**REVIEW**


	13. In the Inn

The sound of my fist colliding with Sephiroth's face reverberates through the room.

He gets knocked away from Felicity and he stumbles into a wall. His hand flies to his cheek and he looks at me with a stunned expression. His eyes turn dangerous as they land on me. Sephiroth fills with fury. "What the hell was that for?" He growls.

"That's my question!" I snarl back.

He glares. "You _hit_ your commanding officer."

"You deserved it! Just what the hell were you doing?" I glance at Felicity. Her gaze is far off as she stares into space. She looks almost robotic until her eyelids droop and she swoons. I catch her back and hold her up with an arm. Her skin is ghostly white. She breathes deeply, her eyes are closed. I try to gently shake her awake but she continues to sleep. My glower throws daggers at Sephiroth. "What did you do to her?" I spit.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, right! Just look at her!" I hold onto Felicity like the slightest breeze would blow her away.

Sephiroth rubs his face. "If you would stop being a jealous child for a moment, I would explain."

I continue to snarl at Sephiroth, my emotions still hyped up and flaring. He stares at me with his cool eyes, waiting for me to simmer down and I think for a second. For all the years I've known him, Sephiroth has never done anything without reason. So I take a deep breath to settle my nerves. It takes a couple of tries before I calm down enough to listen. "Go ahead."

"The kiss you witnessed was hardly the display of affection or diabolical act you assume it to have been. It was simply a means of healing."

I don't believe him. A scowl resettles on my face as I say sardonically, "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm sure you've noticed Felicity has been out of sorts." I nod, albeit begrudgingly. "It seems the spikes of the monsters we fought were laced with a strong type of poison. Ignorant of that information, Felicity healed her wound without using Esuna, trapping the toxin within her body. I noticed her continuously healing herself with cure as we traveled, though she was clever to hide it." I thought back and remembered Felicity's hands stuffed in her pockets. Sephiroth shakes his head. "She may be strong and charismatic, but this girl needs to learn how to curb her pride. This whole ordeal could have been avoided."

I watch Sephiroth carefully. He didn't seem too distraught about having to kiss Felicity. Which reminded me, "Why did you have to kiss her to heal her?"

"The original wound was closed," he says wryly. "The only other way of administering a cure to reach the infection was orally."

"You could have found some herbs that would have worked." I say grumpily.

Sephiroth casts me a look. "Grow up, Zack. It had to be done."

I suppress my pout. My eyes return to Felicity and a thought occurs to me. "If you healed her, how come she's still out of it?"

He crosses his arms. "_Someone_ decided to punch me out of the blue and the healing process was interrupted. It will now take longer for the cure to take effect. I expect it won't be long now though." He gets up and heads toward the window.

I carry Felicity to one of the beds in the room and set her down. I watch her for a second before going to join Sephiroth.

He's looking outside with a glazed-over expression that makes me momentarily forget my spite towards him. I'm too curious about his behavior to be angry. "What are you looking at?" I ask.

He breathes in the scenery. "This landscape… I could swear I've seen it before."

I fold my arms. "Yeah? Where?"

He pauses, then shakes his head. "Never mind. It's nothing." He turns to me. "We should go to sleep. We've got an early morning."

I nod in agreement. My eyes slide to Felicity. "She's staying."

"Yes, I agree. She still needs time to heal."

There's a moment of silence as my gaze rests on Felicity and Sephiroth's rests on me. He watches me knowingly. "You know, Zack," he smirks, "technically this room is rented to Miss White and I." He chuckles at the death glare I shoot at him. "Relax," he says. "I'm not making any wild insinuations. I was only teasing. I can tell you don't want to leave her alone, so I'll let you stay here." He heads for the stairway. "I'll get another room and make sure your name is listed for this one." Looking back, he smiles at me. "Just behave yourself."

I'm too dazed to respond. It was rare for Sephiroth to act so friendly. Nonetheless I'm grateful that he would go out of his way to help me. I'm glad he sensed my concern. I'd developed an almost unhealthy desire to protect Felicity. There was something special about her that made me want to keep her safe even if it cost my own life. If she hadn't been so spectacular, the idea would have scared me.

I sit on the bed beside the one Felicity is sleeping on. I lean forward and tuck a stray strand of curls behind her ear. A soft sigh escapes her lips.

I smile before lying down on my bed. I end up sleeping on my side so I can open my eyes every now and then just to see Felicity sleeping soundly a few feet over.

**Finally! A (short) update! Well, at least the cliffhanger is resolved and I've gotten back into the swing of the story. Hopefully if y'all keep reviewing, I'll keep writing. **

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	14. Conscious

I sit across from Cloud on the middle bed in the inn room. Both he and Felicity were still out cold and neither would respond to me. I knew -or at least hoped- that all they needed was some sleep, so I just waited patiently, taking turns watching over each of them while the day's events replayed in my head.

Tifa had taken us up to the reactor and Sephiroth and I had gone inside to find the malfunction. While we did find the broken section of the reactor, we also found monsters created by Hojo. Sephiroth had explained that SOLDIER members like me were mako-infused humans while the monsters were abominations spawned by mako energy. When I asked what kind of mako-enhancement Sephiroth had gotten, he snapped. It was like everything he had known about his past was wrong and he questioned his existence. I could hear him mumble to himself, asking to no one in particular if he had been made the same way as the monsters.

And then Genesis appeared. Degrading, but alive. Blasting me with aura, he approached Sephiroth. He had said that Sephiroth was the product of Jenova Project S –a project that took the failed experiments of Jenova Project G to create the perfect being. It turned out Jenova was Sephiroth's mother only in the sense that her cells brought his existence. She was a monster taken from an ancient rock layer. It was information that was difficult to process.

Genesis needed Sephiroth's cells in order to stabilize. He had said that Sephiroth's body wouldn't degrade and would therefore prevent his own from breaking down. But Sephiroth had refused and left, his eyes empty and his soul shattered. I wanted to go after him, but I was still struggling to get up after Genesis' attack.

Genesis himself didn't seem to be too fazed after being rejected his salvation. He recited some more mumbo jumbo about "the goddess" before leaving, and my mind went straight to the Mako Excavation Facility. Genesis had called Felicity his goddess. The alarm in my head went off and I rushed outside only to find monsters attacking Cloud and Tifa. Genesis had gone.

A strong attack sent Cloud spinning before I could do anything. After the battle, I went to check on him. Tifa had him looked after, but he was still injured. We hurried back to the inn as quickly as possible. Once we arrived, Tifa left to find Sephiroth and I brought Cloud upstairs where he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

I watch him breathe silently. Seeing his and Felicity's chests rise and fall is the only thing that keeps me at ease. So long as they are breathing I'm able to stay calm. Angeal had always told me I had to be more patient. No time to learn like the present, I guess.

I'm rewarded a few minutes later when Cloud stirs. Blinking a few times, he sits up groggily.

"Tifa's safe," I say, reading his despondent expression, "don't worry."

He frowns sadly. "If only I were SOLDIER…" He doesn't have to finish his thought. We both know he thinks he's not strong enough to protect Tifa. But SOLDIER can't protect anyone. We just drag innocent people down with us. "Zack?"

"SOLDIER is like a den of monsters," I say, almost philosophically. "Don't go inside."

Cloud's body language opens up a bit as he looks at me, concerned. "What happened?"

"I don't know, man…" I shake my head, lost. I lean back on the bed. "I thought I knew, but…" My emotions are rampant in my confusion. What I thought was good, didn't seem so good after all. Everything was muddled. I flop onto the bed, letting out my frustration in an, "Ahhhhh!"

There's silence until I remember. "By the way, do you know Tifa?" I ask.

Cloud shifts a bit, turning away from me again. "Sort of…"

"Talked to her?"

"No…"

I sit up a bit, resting my weight on an elbow. "I'm sensing some issues here… shouldn't you do something?" Cloud ducks his head and doesn't answer. I pause. "I'm one to talk…" I stand and take slow steps around the room. "I'm with SOLDIER, so…fighting's all I do. Sorting things out is someone else's job. What's going on? Who's the enemy? It makes no difference to me!" I reach for my buster sword leaning against the table and raise it above my head like I'm going to strike down my aggravation. But my turmoil is too great and I can't even kill my imaginary enemy. My emotions are uncontrollable. I bring my sword to my forehead and try to center myself, sighing.

"Hey, Zack?" Cloud says. "You know, I've never seen you use that."

I'm struck. I pull my sword away so I can look at it clearly, my mind sending me back.

Angeal's in front of me as we crouch in wait for our mission signal, his words echoing in my head. "Use brings about wear… tear… and rust. And that's a real waste."

He's sheathing his sword after saving me from the Vajradhara beasts. "You're a little more important than my sword." He smirks. "…But just a little."

Now it's me, talking to the new recruits. "Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your SOLDIER honor."

I stare at the buster sword. "This," I tell Cloud, "is a symbol of my dreams and honor." I feel the blade in my hand…its importance… everything it stands for. "No… It's more…" I smile. "That's right… I had almost forgotten." I turn. "Thank you, Cloud."

He sits up. "Huh?"

I lean the buster back against the table. The knot in my stomach has disappeared and is replaced with a calming energy. "Right!" I stride back to the beds, rolling my arms as I do when I'm hyped up. I do some squats to work off my energy. Cloud watches me curiously.

A new voice moans blearily, "Will you cut that out?"

My head snaps to the other bed where Felicity lies blinking sleepily at us. Most of the colour has returned to her face but she still looks weak. I vault over my bed to get to her side. Cloud takes the long way around. We hover over her like mother hens.

"Are you okay?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Did Sephiroth hurt you earlier?"

"Did you get enough rest?"

"'Cause I swear, I'll kill him if he did."

"Can you move?"

We would have asked more questions, but we were cut off with curt, yet fluffy blows to our faces. Felicity frowned at us, pillow in hand and poised to strike again. "Geez, guys. Let a girl breathe, will ya?"

Cloud and I duck sheepishly. We both mumble, "Sorry."

"Just relax, okay?" She says, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I'm fine. It takes more than some poison to put me out of commission."

"But you were pretty out of it," Cloud points out.

I'm not as gentle. "What were you thinking, keeping the poison from us? You could have died! Do you know how worried we were?"

"Sorry…" she says guiltily. "I had meant to keep it from you until I found out how to get better on my own. I figured ignorance is bliss –I didn't want you guys to be bothered."

"And how'd that work out?"

"Not great," she grumbles.

I sigh begrudgingly. "You're alright thanks to Sephiroth, but you have to rely on us more." My fingers slip around hers. "We're your friends. You can depend on us for anything. Get it?"

She smiles. "Got it."

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**Sorry for the ending. I know it could have been 1000 times better. **

**This is essentially another filler chapter. Sorry about that. Things are going to pick up soon -we're getting close to the Nibelheim incident. **

**Make sure to REVIEW. **

**5 REVIEWS ARE NEEDED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER**


	15. Wakey, Wakey

**I'm disappointed that the last chapter only got 2 reviews when I asked for 5, but since I didn't want to completely abandon this story, I revived it for the readers who actually follow it. **

**_(Some exciting news: this story attracted attention from some crew members at and they invited me to join their website for budding authors! You can find me on that site under _****Pennan Inque****_ as always -though the material posted there will be the same posted here)_**

**Here's a short chapter to get things going again. The Nibelheim incident approacheth! **

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The setting sun shines into our eyes and reminds us of the hour.

Cloud stifles a yawn. "We should hit the hay."

"Yeah," Felicity says, catching sight of him and following suit contagiously. "Big day tomorrow. We're going to check the reactor, right?"

Cloud and I share a look. "Uh…"

"What?" she asks suspiciously, narrowing her eyes dangerously at us.

I figure it's best to just get it over with. "We already went this morning…"

"No we didn't," she says, frowning, "We only got here a few hours ago. We were at the base this morning."

"That was yesterday morning," Cloud says. He doesn't prepare himself for the screech that follows.

Felicity is hysterical. "I was out for a whole day? An _entire_ day? You've got to be kidding me!"

"You're lucky you're alive," I point out. A very stupid move on my part.

She whirls upon me. "And _you!_ How could you go to the reactor without me? I'm a part of this mission too, you know!"

"Of course I know! You're kind of hard to overlook! But you were out cold and still recovering. There was no way you were in any shape to go to the reactor. Especially when…" I shut my mouth quickly, hoping my words will suck back into my vocal chords.

It doesn't work.

She's crawling towards me across the bed now, in a way that would turn me on had she not looked so murderous. "Especially when what?"

Her eyes hold mine and prevent me from simply fleeing the room. Damn, why did she have to be so attractive? Life would be so much easier if she was just a plain-Jane. She crumbles my resolve and forces my tongue to work, even though I know I'll get yelled at. "Genesis showed up."

I wait for her fury, but it doesn't come. Instead she looks wistful. "Genesis was at the reactor?"

I nod cautiously. "Yeah. He was degrading, but he was there."

"He's alive… I can't believe it." She looks torn. There's a sliver of a smile on her lips and sadness in her eyes as if she can't chose whether to celebrate or despair. Her gaze returns to me. "What did he want?"

"Sephiroth's cells. It's a long story."

"We've got time, Zack. I want to know what I missed."

"Alright," I sigh. "Let's see if I can make this simple… We'll start with Jenova."

She quirks an eyebrow. "Sephiroth's mother?"

"Yes and no. Jenova isn't a person, but an extraterrestrial being that scientists discovered in a layer of rock. Using her cells, they created higher life forms. This…" I try to chose my words carefully. "This included Angeal."

Felicity's eyes widen. They seem dreary too, dulled with the memory. "Angeal?"

"His creation was part of Jenova Project G, as well as Genesis'," I explain. "Sephiroth was made by using DNA of failed experiments of that project –the ones that came before. His cells are stable. He won't degrade. That's why Genesis wants them. So he can stabilize himself."

"I see." There is a pause as she takes the information in. Cloud and I wait patiently. "Was he normal?" she asks suddenly. "Was Genesis acting normally?"

"Yeah, I guess." I say, running a hand through my hair. "He wasn't hallucinating if that's what you mean."

"Did you fight?"

"Wasn't much of a fight," I admit. "He blasted me out of the way before talking to Sephiroth."

Felicity scans the room briefly. "Where is Sephiroth, anyway?"

I shrug. "I'm not sure. He disappeared after leaving the reactor. Tifa's asking around town for him. We'll go find him in the morning, so long as you and Cloud are up for it."

She fixes her eyes on Cloud, a look of concern washing over her features. "You're hurt?"

He waves her off. "I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"We just ran into some trouble, that's all."

I fold my arms. "He got attacked by a renegade monster on the mountain." I smirk as he glares at me. "No sense lying about it, dude. She'd find out regardless."

She shakes her head at him. "And here you were fussing over me! Alright, where are you hurt?"

"I said I'm fine!" he insists, his face turning pink as Felicity scrutinizes his physique.

"A likely story." She gets to her feet. "Now let me see. I'll heal you up in… no… time." She wobbles and falls back to the bed, clutching her head.

Cloud stands briskly and I reach for her instinctively. Her face is flushed. "Maybe you should worry about healing yourself," I say. "Looks like you're not quite better yet."

"Why don't we all get some sleep," Cloud suggests. "We could all do with some rest."

"Yeah," I agree. Turning to Felicity, I pull her covers over her. She looks at me tiredly and offers her thanks. I give her a smile before putting out a few of the lanterns in the room. Cloud settles in his bed and I lie on the middle. I yawn as I burrow under the blankets. "We'll look for Sephiroth in the morning."

"Right, Zack," Cloud says sleepily. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Fair," came Felicity's dreamy voice.

I smile and close my eyes. "Goodnight."

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**I'll be editing any mistakes later. Make sure you review for updates this time! **


	16. Shinra Manor

**Sorry if you find this next chapter a little lengthy. I'm trying to make them longer... though this one was even more elaborate because I wanted to get onto the Nibelheim Incident. ****_Yup! The Nibelheim Incident starts next chapter! _**

**Enjoy.**

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My internal clock woke me up around dawn. Stretching, I yawn and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I notice Cloud awake beside me. He's sitting up on the edge of the bed with his head drooping groggily. "Morning," I say.

"Hey," he says weakly.

"Ready to go?"

"Just give me some more time to rest."

I nod. He still looks tired. I turn to the other bed to find Felicity fast asleep. I smile.

"She had a rough night," Cloud says, glancing at her. "I could hear her tossing and turning."

"It'd be a shame to wake her. We'll let her sleep a while longer." I go grab my buster sword. I look back at Cloud before leaving the room. "Join me in the square when you're feeling up to it."

"Sure."

I make sure to close the door quietly behind me before heading down the hall so as to not disturb Felicity's slumber. It was our hope that the poison from the monsters would clear from her system with some sleep, but it seemed that slumber was elusive. Now that she finally found rest, it was best to leave her be until she woke on her own.

Tifa enters the inn as I hit the final stair. She spots me almost immediately and bears toward me.

"Hey," I greet.

She gives me a polite nod rather than a hello. She gets right to brass tacks. "Sephiroth is apparently at Shinra manor."

"That big mansion?" I ask, quirking a brow.

She nods again. "Yes. Shinra has owned it for a long time."

"Okay. Thanks." And with that, I head outside.

The sky is cloudless, and the sun lights up the town. The air is warm and the breeze feels nice across my skin. I pace around, enjoying the day. Suddenly my cell phone rings. I flip it open and put it to my ear as I continue meandering. A familiar voice comes through. "Hell-lloooo?"

I stop in my tracks, a huge grin settling on my face. "Aerith?"

"I finally got through!" she says happily.

"Yeah…" I take the phone away from my ear and check around for eavesdroppers. No one is paying attention to my conversation, but I catch sight of Felicity storming out of the inn, Cloud in tow.

She spots me almost instantaneously and glowers. She yells across the square. "_Zack!_"

I cringe and bring the phone back. "Uh, listen… Now's not the best time. I'll call you later."

Her voice deflates. "No, no, you don't have to…"

"Okay," I say, giving in to her, "I'll come visit."

"I'll be here."

"I'll see you, I promise."

As soon as I put my phone away, Felicity is upon me. Her scowl is fierce. "Damn it, Fair!" she hisses. "What's the big idea, leaving me at the inn? I thought you said we would find Sephiroth together?"

"I did and we will," I look to Cloud as he comes over. He's got his helmet on again. "Didn't you explain things to her?"

"I tried," he says. "But as soon as I said that you had left, she took off."

Felicity folds her arms. "I was already out for one day of this mission. I wasn't going to let Fair ditch me for another."

I'm almost hurt. "I wasn't going to ditch you. I was letting you sleep!"

"Sure you were." She humphs grumpily. "Anyway, do we have any leads on where Sephiroth is?"

"Uh, yeah," I say, unnerved by her temper. "Tifa told me he went to Shinra Manor."

Cloud pipes in. "Shinra Manor is up the stairs straight ahead, then to the left," he informs us.

"Good. Let's go. My wanderlust is kicking in." She starts off. When she doesn't hear our footsteps behind her, she turns over her shoulder. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

We wince at her tone.

"What do you think her problem is?" Cloud asks me quietly.

"Dunno. It's hard to understand women. Maybe her pride was hurt by being out of commission for a day, or maybe there's still some poison in her and it's messing with her system," I give Cloud a passive smirk. "Or maybe it's just that time of the month."

Felicity's voice shouts from ahead. "I heard that!"

"What the-?" My mouth hangs agape. "How did she-?"

"Should you really be surprised by now?" Cloud laughs. "Felicity's established multiple times that she's extraordinary in many ways."

Cloud's voice sounds almost whimsical. At first I think he's still tired over his injury from yesterday, but then I catch the pinkness of his cheeks. "Are you blushing?"

"Of course not." The pink turns red. He tries to hide it. "W-we should go after Felicity before she gets even angrier. Come with me!"

I follow Cloud as he runs after Felicity. I think I feel winded for some odd reason as my chest pulls uncomfortably when I see the way Cloud looks at Felicity. I scold myself for not training as often as I apparently should have and make a mental note to do a few more reps of squats before going to bed tonight.

Felicity's waiting for us outside the manor gate. Her hand rests on her jutted hip and a cluster of frozen Destroyers lies at her feet. "It's about time you guys got here," she says. "What was the hold up?"

"Nothing really," I say. "Just us males being slow. Sorry to keep her ladyship waiting."

She rolls her eyes. "You're hilarious, Fair."

Cloud fidgets from Felicity's evident irritability. "The gate's lock has been broken for years," he mentions. "We should be able to just push it open."

I force the wrought iron apart with one large shove. It swings easily, the hinges creaking. I take a moment to gesture to the now opened path, grandly sweeping my arms to usher Felicity inside. "Ladies first."

She rolls her eyes again but refrains for insulting me. I'm not sure whether it is a good sign or a bad one. She heads inside the mansion, Cloud and I in her wake.

The inside of the manor is old and aged. The white paint has faded to a dank cream colour and is peeling from the walls. The wooden doors are chipped and cracked from years of use. Even the giant rug that covered most of the foyer is drearily grimy, throwing up dust with every step we take over it.

Cloud's phone goes off as we roam aimlessly on the ground floor. He reads the screen. Must be a text message. It only takes him a couple seconds to go over it. He replaces his phone in his pocket and turns to Felicity and me. "Sephiroth apparently went to the second-floor room on the right."

"Let's go then," Felicity says, leading the way to the stairs. Cloud and I follow behind, but neither of us are too upset about playing sheep. We have a nice view.

We make it to the landing and turn right to the east wing. Coming upon a fork in the road, Felicity takes a left out of curiosity to a solitude door. She checks the knob to find it locked. I stoop to peer through the keyhole. There's a bookcase with disheveled books littering the room, but nothing else inside. We move on.

When we reach the room Sephiroth was supposed to be in, he was nowhere to be seen. Cloud does a sweep of the area while Felicity and I hang back. It's an infantryman's job to clear a room and we don't want to get in the way. Instead we take the room in visually.

It looks to be an old bedroom, maybe the second-master. There's a bed, a vanity, wardrobe, table, bookshelf, et cetera; all covered in thick layer of dust. Half of the room has concrete walls while the farther half is made of brick. There's a discernible line along the stone that looks like the entrance to a secret passage. Cloud makes sure to give it a thorough once-over. When he's done, he lets us into the room. We join him by the bed.

"Something's wrong with Sephiroth," he concludes. "The door to the underground passage was unlocked, and I think he went in, but..."

I nod in understanding. "There's no reason for him to go down there. We'd better find him and see what's up."

"Way ahead of you," Felicity says touching a panel on the brick wall. The outlined section of the stone pulls away, the old passage making disturbing gravel-scraping sounds like shifting boulders. A dark cavern is revealed when the secret door completely disappears. It looks spacious and deep with lanterns providing little illumination along the path. "Homey," Felicity comments.

"Yeah," I agree. "Not exactly welcoming is it?"

"Might as well get it over with," she says. And with that, we all head into the underground tunnel.

There's a bunch of abandoned equipment lining the rock walls; pickaxes, gloves, barrels of what I assumed was oil or gunpowder, crates full of shovels and spades. The cavern is suspicious, carrying an ominous air and I wonder what it was even used for.

"Up ahead!" Cloud points. "There's a ladder."

Sure enough there's a metal ladder poking out of a hole in the ground a few feet away.

However, before we can take another step to investigate, a beast climbs up. It's ghastly with a long neck, clawed hands, swishing tail and a shell on its back. It resembles a sickly, spindly, mutated turtle. Its snake-like eyes piece through us and it hisses. Reaching behind its back, it pulls a trident from the confines of its shell. Twirling it menacingly, it staggers toward us.

"Leave this to me," I say, unsheathing my buster sword. "You guys are still weak."

"Like hell we are!" Felicity exclaims. One of her hands is dancing with fire while the other is clenched into a fist. "We can take this thing. Right, Cloud?"

He's already got his sword out. "You bet!"

I shake my head at their persistent stubbornness, but smile at their spirit. "Okay, but go easy. I don't want you guys to hurt yourselves."

Felicity waves me off. "Yeah, yeah. We'll be careful."

"Alright then! Here we go!"

Cloud and I charge at the monster, lashing at it with our blades. Felicity fires her magic at a distance, respecting my concern for her safety by refraining from engaging in hand-to-hand. The creature evades a number of our attacks, twisting its body around timely so that our slashes collide with its shell. It thrusts its trident at us, but we're too quick.

We're stuck in a stalemate until a glow falls over the monster and a separate one blankets Cloud and I. The beast slows down while I feel a tingling through my core. I see the sensation mimicked in Cloud's expression and suddenly realize that we've been sped up. I give Felicity a thumbs up in gratitude, to which she replies with a sly smirk, before Cloud and I restart our assault. With the magic boost, we're able to defeat the creature easily.

I wipe sweat from my forehead. "Thanks," I tell Felicity.

There's a smile on her face now, her previous agitation lost in the thrill of the fight. "It was nothing."

"Yeah right!" Cloud says, his chest heaving. "That thing was so agile, it would've taken us forever to finally kill it without your help."

She grins. "You boys flatter me. But don't you think we should see where that goes?" she gestures to the ladder. "We've got to find Sephiroth."

I nod. "You're right. Let's go."

We climb down the rungs through the hole in the ground one after the other until we arrive at the bottom. The ladder led to a lower cavern similar, but wider, than the one above. The cave seems large enough to fit a small community. There aren't any doors except one at the far end of the cavern and a small one off to the side that we discovered held nothing but coffins that we didn't dare look inside. We head to the far door.

It's a large, metal reinforced door typical for military bases or research labs. Again I wonder what it's doing down here, but there isn't time for questions that I couldn't answer. I press the panel on the door and it splits, the two halves sliding away to let us pass.

The chamber appears to be a laboratory of some sort. There are machines and equipment that I don't recognize, but assume are expensive. A few specimen container pods stand callously here and there. Shelves upon shelves of books and chemicals line the walls. Sephiroth paces the floor, a book in hand.

We're about to call out to him when we hear him muttering to himself, reading. "A life form in the state of suspended animation, excavated from a 2000-year-old stratum. Professor Gast named this life form Jenova…" he flips more pages. He doesn't seem to notice us. "Date X/X/XX –Jenova verified as an Ancient… Date X/X/XX- Jenova Project approved. Mako Reactor 1 authorized for use…" Still not seeing us, Sephiroth moves onto the adjoined library. Cloud, Felicity and I share perplexed and anxious glances. We follow him.

He's still talking to himself. "My mother's name, Jenova…. The Jenova Project… Could this be a coincidence…?" He looks to the ceiling as if speaking to the heavens. "Professor Gast… Why didn't you tell me?" He his head droops in sudden sadness and confusion. "Why did you die…?"

I cautiously approach him. "Hey… Sephiroth… You okay?"

He keeps his head down and doesn't look at me. "I would like to be alone."

I look at the others. They're just as concerned as I am, but we are left with no choice. Sephiroth's tone was absolute. There was no room for arguing or persuasion. We're forced to leave.

From that day, Sephiroth shut himself inside Shinra Manor and proceeded to review document after document, like a man possessed. The lights in the basement never went off…

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**Remember to review. **


	17. The Nibelheim Incident

**So I pretty much spent all day writing this. As well, I was disappointed by the lack of reviews. I expect a ****_crap-load_**** of reviews**** for this chapter though. It is the Nibelheim Incident after all. Kinda intense and dramatic.**

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And on the seventh day…

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When I wake in the morning, I feel like I'm roasting in an oven. I'm covered in sweat from head to toe and my sheets have been kicked off during the night. I wonder what the temperature is outside. This is an unnatural heat.

Screams from outside jostle me from bed. They're accompanied by cracks and snaps like sound like a furnace burning. The windows in the room are lit with red as flames lick at the glass.

Panic surges within me. I go to rouse Cloud but find his bed empty. Felicity's still sleeping though. I shake her awake.

She's understandably startled. "Huh? Zack? What are you doing?"

"We've got to get out of here," I say severely. I'm able to keep relatively calm despite the raging inferno outside thanks to my First Class training. "Grab what you need and let's go!"

She notices the flames outside the window and springs from bed. Snatching her coat, she pulls it on while I grab the buster sword.

"Where's Cloud?" she asks.

There's an uncomfortable knot in my stomach. "I don't know. He was gone when I woke up."

"He can't still be in the inn," she says reasonably. She's trying to be rational, but I can see that she's worried too. "He would have woken us if he had been here when the fire started."

"You're right. He's got to be outside somewhere. Come on!"

The inside of the inn hasn't been penetrated by the flames yet and we're able to swiftly make it to the front door. I throw them both open to reveal the town of Nibelheim lit ablaze. Fire dances from buildings and trees, engulfing everything and devouring it whole. There's no one in sight except an infantryman lying in the square a few feet away. He's got his helmet on, but we know it's Cloud. We run over to him.

Felicity kneels down and rolls him over into her arms. He groans. "Sephiroth…"

"Cloud…" Felicity's voice is quiet. She pushes his helmet off and inspects him for injuries. "How did this happen?"

He moans in pain. His lips move but nothing comes out. Felicity looks up at me in travesty.

I spot movement among the flames along the path to the mountain. As I move closer, I notice Sephiroth in the fire, his hair and clothes fluttering in the smoke. Our eyes meet, but it's as if he doesn't really see me. His voice is lost and automatic, like a tormented child. "I'm coming to get you…" And with that he turns and disappears through the inferno to the mountain path.

"Felicity!" I yell to her over the roar of the firestorm. "Look after Cloud! I'm going after Sephiroth!"

"Not without me, you're not!" she shouts back.

I shake my head emphatically. "You can't come with me! Someone has to stay with Cloud!"

"No…" Cloud says with as much strength as he can muster. "I'm fine." He looks at Felicity. "Go with Zack. Maybe the two of you can stop Sephiroth."

She stands, albeit hesitantly. "Can you get to safety?" she asks.

He nods. "It'll be easy to outrun this fire."

"Okay…" She wraps her arms around him in a hug. "We'll see you soon."

He smiles. "Yeah."

They break apart and Felicity joins me. We look back at Cloud and Nibelheim one last time. "How could you…?" I wonder aloud. "Sephiroth, how could you…?"

* * *

We follow Sephiroth to the mako reactor. Upon opening the door, we find Tifa lying on the floor. We hurry to her side. She looks like she's in a lot of pain. Felicity casts a small cure spell on her as I look at her in dismay. I feel anger bubble in my stomach. "Sephiroth did this, didn't he?"

Tifa stirs and catches my gaze. I offer her a helping hand, but she shrinks away and curls into a fetal position. I clench my fists hopelessly and stand, making my way to the stairs. Felicity doesn't give up that easily.

"It's okay Tifa. We're here to help." She reaches for the other girl's hand only to have Tifa swat her away.

"I hate you!" she yells. "I hate Shinra, I hate SOLDIER! I hate you all!"

Felicity looks up at me desolately. I shake with anger. How could Sephiroth cause such pain? Where was his honor?

I unsheathe my sword and run full-tilt at the door sealing off the Jenova room. With a mighty slash, I destroy the metal and rock and leave a gaping hole in the wall. I straighten and look at Felicity over my shoulder. Her mouth is agape. "Wow," she says. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Some other time, maybe," I say as she joins me. "Right now we have to go after Sephiroth."

She agrees and allows herself to fall into step behind me as we press on.

We enter the chamber to find Sephiroth on top of a raised platform above the reactor, talking to a cyberoptic woman. Completely made of metal, it looks as if she's a human coated in alloys and armored plates, turned into a statue devoid of legs and welded to the walls. "Mother," he says wistfully, "let's take back the planet together. I… I had an epiphany. Let's go to the promised land… Mother…"

I can't handle his delusions. I yell at him, my rage escalating. "Sephiroth! Why did you kill the townspeople? Why did you hurt Tifa? Answer me, Sephiroth!"

He doesn't even look at me. He continues to speak to the robot woman. "Mother, they're here again. You should have ruled this planet. You were stronger, smarter. But they came…" he finally looks our way. "Those inferior dullards…"

I scowl.

He returns to looking into the woman's soulless eyes. "They came and took this planet away from you. But don't be sad, Mother. I am with you now…" he reaches up to take her head. At first I think it is an eerily gentle gesture until he starts tearing the woman out of the walls. Wires snap and metal creaks as he rips the metal android from its place and tosses it to the side. A glass containment pod is exposed without the statue. Liquid swirls inside around an alienstic figure. She's got tubes attached to her blue body and a helmet placed on her head that reads _Jenova. _Her eyes glow red."We meet at last, Mother…"

I take my blade and aim it at Sephiroth's neck as he moves closer to the creature. "Sephiroth! Have you completely lost your mind?"

There's a moments silence as he says nothing. Then, out of nowhere, he slashes his sword at mine, knocking me back. I manage to stay on my feet.

"Zack!" Felicity calls from behind me, concerned.

I'm too enraged to let her know I'm fine. I glower at the man in front of me. "Sephiroth… I trusted you!" I leap into the air and bring my sword down to meet his. He strikes against it and I'm hurled over the platform into the depths of the reactor. Sephiroth sends an attack my way as I fall. I can only block it and continue my descent. I hear Felicity calling after me in distress.

I land on the glass floor of one of the lower levels. Sephiroth glides down to join me. His feet touch the floor and he transitions to a fighting stance, ready to battle.

We clash blades, slicing and thrusting at each other. I'm able to parry most of his attacks, but his skill surpasses mine and I'm hardly ever able to go on the offensive. After a while, I'm tired out. I lose my concentration and a blow strikes me to the ground.

The tiny shred of honor left in Sephiroth allows me to stand. I struggle to my feet, getting angrier than before. "No, you're not—you're not the Sephiroth I once knew!" With renewed strength, I point my blade at him challengingly.

He seems unaffected. "I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to rule this planet." With a haughty smirk, he raises his sword straight up, sending a wave of blue aura hurdling in my direction. I block the beam with my sword, but the glass beneath our feet shatters. We tumble to the narrow metal catwalk bellow. Our battle recommences.

Sephiroth focuses not on wounding me, but sending me over the edge of the bridge into the core of the reactor. I fight back and maneuver away, keeping as center as I could on the small walkway. I cast a few spells as I doge his swings, hoping they would accumulatively slow him down. One particular blizzara spell leaves him partially frozen. I use the opportunity to escape and I jump from the outcroppings along the wall back to the platform above.

Felicity rushes to my side, ensnaring me in a tight embrace. "You're alright!"

"Relatively," I grunt. While her hug is endearing and welcomed, she's pressing into sore points on my body.

She catches the discomfort in my face and lets go. "Sorry. I saw everything from up here. You're probably exhausted."

"A little," I admit.

"Here, let me heal you." She closes her eyes and gathers energy. Her fingers glow green and she brings the tips to lightly touch my chest. Instantly I feel her magic start to flow through me.

The spell is broken as Sephiroth soars through the air and knocks us apart. Felicity slides a few feet away while I am only blown back slightly. I bring my sword up to counter Sephiroth's instant flurry of attacks. The little energy I got from Felicity wares away and I can feel myself getting weak. I don't know how long I can keep things up.

From the corner of my eye I see Felicity get to her feet. Her hands shine yellow as she prepares a thundaga spell. The glow catches Sephiroth's attention and he breaks away from me to go after her before she can finish her attack. She's too focused on her magic to notice him approaching. He raises his blade above his head to strike.

"No!" I sprint to intercept the blow, but my timing is off. My sword barely collides with his. His steel edge grazes my arm and the force of his slash sends both me and the buster sword flying. My sword embeds itself into the floor while I'm sent through the hole in the wall and into the main room of the reactor. I crash into the stairs and slide down them only to stop halfway. My body screams at me. I hurt right down to my bones.

I can hear Felicity's infuriated voice. "You _bastard!_" There's the unmistakable zap of lightning followed by the sounds of combat. I struggle to make my limbs move, but they won't respond and I become angry. Felicity's fighting with Sephiroth and there is nothing I can do to help her.

The noises continue for an impressive amount of time as Felicity holds her own against Sephiroth. I cheer when I hear his grunts of pain and wince when I hear hers. They sound evenly matched and I begin to believe that Felicity had a chance of winning.

But suddenly Felicity's voice lets out a gut wrenching cry and she's flung from the room. Her descent mimics mine and she comes to rest on her back within reach of me on the stairs. There's a tear in the side of her jacket, revealing a fresh, deep gash in her side. Blood oozes from it and drips onto the metal of the stairs. Her head turns my way and her pale blue eyes meet mine. They're weak and in pain, but alive.

We're too frail to say anything so I force my arm to move and I reach out for her hand. She takes it gratefully and we're left with nothing to do but lie on the stairs.

* * *

Cloud tends to Tifa after he came out of the Jenova room with my bloody buster sword. He told me that he stabbed Sephiroth, and he went straight to her.

He holds her in his arms and caresses her face. He's pushed his helmet off so he can see her properly. The sight must break his heart. I don't know the relationship between them, but I know that she's a special girl from his past. It is hard to see someone you care about in such rough shape. My eyes travel back to Felicity. She's fallen unconscious from blood loss. Yes. It's v_ery_ hard to see someone you care about in rough shape.

Sephiroth exits the Jenova room with the head of the creature herself under his arm. He's unsteady on his feet after being dealt that wound. His glare lands on Cloud. "How dare you…!" he hisses.

"Cloud…" I groan. "Finish Sephiroth off…"

He nods at me before setting Tifa down gently. Grabbing my sword, he stands. He comes to the foot of the stairs and glowers at the man who hurt Tifa, Felicity, and me. "Sephiroth!" He shouts in rage and charges. He jumps into the air and swings my sword, only to have Sephiroth connect with it. As Sephiroth slashes my blade away, Cloud is hurled into the Jenova room. I hear his body roll and my sword skitter away. Sephiroth stalks after him.

Cloud gasps in pain a few seconds later. "Don't… test me," Sephiroth growls. My heart drops and I fear the worst until Sephiroth speaks again. "No…! Impossible!"

There's a powerful grunt from Cloud followed by the crash of a body flying into machinery and then silence.

I attempt to get to my hands and knees in order to see what happened, but I can only rise a few inches. I hear boots against metal and see Cloud come out of the Jenova room. He stumbles toward Felicity and I, eventually losing his balance and tumbling down the steps. His momentum slows and he stops just in front of us. His eyes are closed.

"Cloud…" I say softly. "You did it…" I reach out to him, but I can't make it. Black dots swarm my vision. I black out, leaving the three of us unconscious on the reactor stairs.

* * *

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	18. Success

**Thanks for the reviews. Still wishing there were more though. **

**We're moving on from the Nibelheim incident now as we go into the basement of Shinra Manor. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

My conscious slips in and out.

I open my eyes to see the scrawny face of a man looking down at me. My vision is blurry, but the lab coat, grey ponytail and glasses prove the man to be Hojo. He moves from me to two infantrymen carrying an army stretcher. There's a tuff of blonde hair sticking up from the folds. "This one here… intriguing, most intriguing! He'll make a fine test subject! -Oh! Be careful with that one!" he flitters, scrambling over to another stretcher. "I have special plans for her! She must make it to the lab alive!"

I see a scrap of black cloth inked with ebony swirls like shadows inside the fabric of the second stretcher before my consciousness leaves once more.

* * *

"You call yourself SOLDIER?"

A figure appears in the blackness. White feathers flutter to the ground.

Angeal frowns at me. He's holding the buster sword and his wings are spread languidly.

The background develops and I can start to make out machines, shelves, chemicals, books. We're in the lab underneath Shinra Manor.

"You tarnish the SOLDIER name!" Angeal scorns. He turns away and spreads his wings.

"Angeal!" I yell after him, pounding on the glass surrounding me. "Wait!"

He pays my cries no heed and flies off.

* * *

The world is bright as the sun blinds me. The sky is a crystal blue flecked with the fluffy whiteness of clouds. I'm ankle deep in water so calm I can't tell what's sky and what's reflection. A white feather floats down from above me and lands on the water's surface. It creates ripples.

I look to the sky. To Angeal. "Those wings…" I say. "I want them, too."

* * *

My eyes open to a stone floor littered with shards of glass. My senses are vivid and I know I'm in reality again. I'm flat on my face. I think I fell out of somewhere. My body feels tingly and unused. I'm not exactly sore, but I feel strange, like my chemistry is off balance.

I hear footsteps come into the room. A good sign; at least I'm not deaf.

Suddenly my memory kicks in and I remember what happened at the reactor. Sephiroth going after Jenova, our fight, Felicity getting wounded, Cloud showing up, Hojo's goons taking us all…

I stagger to my feet and get a good look at the newcomer. He's got brown hair and a square face. He's wearing normal clothes underneath a white lab coat. A researcher. No doubt employed by Hojo; ergo, an enemy. Feigning a swoon, I pull my fist back and knock the man out with a right hook. He falls to the floor.

Shaking the feeling back into my hand, I spot a container pod beside my broken one. Cloud's inside, floating almost peacefully. I touch the glass. I had to get him out. Looking around for the controls, I finally find them on the side. I press the one labeled _drain_. The liquid in the chamber begins flowing out until there is none left inside. I hit the _open_ button and the pod's door slides open. Cloud tumbles out but I catch him before he hits the ground. He's unresponsive. "Cloud…"

I move him to sit against the table in the middle of the room while I gain my bearings. I catch a metal glint in the corner of my eye and find my buster sword leaning between two bookshelves. I wander to it and take the hilt. I inspect it for damage or tampering only to find that it's the same old sword. Smiling, I place it on my back.

I scan the lab. The other containers are empty and Felicity is nowhere in sight. I need to find some clues.

I notice a piece of paper on the table and pick it up. It reads: "Analysis of Procedural Failure. Failed Case #1: SOLDIER 1st Class. Summary: Desired effect did not occur. Strong tolerance to Jenova cells due to SOLDIER conditioning assessed as cause. Failed Case #2: Shinra Infantryman. Summary: Weak tolerance to Jenova cells led to toxicosis. Lack of response to outside stimuli suggests severe system damage. Recovery highly unlikely."

I crumble the paper in my fist and toss it across the room. "Recovery highly unlikely"… Damn them!

I search for another document, seeing if there was one detailing Felicity's case. When I don't find one, I venture to the library.

Books are lying open here and there. Notebooks are scattered around and a stack of papers are strewn on the desk. I rifle through the papers, looking for anything handwritten. One with hurried, excited scribbles catches my eye. It's hard to make out the messy writing, but I eventually decipher the words and my heart sinks. "Analysis of Experimental Success. Case: Female SOLDIER 1st Class. Summary: Regardless of SOLDIER conditioning, cells have successfully accepted Jenova splicing. Subject shows most promising results seen in Jenova Project yet and has developed unimaginable talents. Tests will follow to hone abilities."

The page falls from my hand and flutters to the floor. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. Felicity was the same as always. She was safe and sound somewhere in the mansion. Her body rejected the experiments just like mine had and she was sleeping in a container pod, waiting for us to spring her loose.

She was fine. She had to be.

I turn on my heel and head back to get Cloud and go. We had to find Felicity.

When I return, the researcher is stirring. His eyes meet mine as he rubs his head and they grow wide. I draw my sword and point it at him before he can run away. I back him up into a wall. "Where's Felicity?" I growl.

"Who?"

"Felicity White, the First Class that was brought here with us! Where is she?"

Recognition registered in his eyes. "You mean Experiment F? There's no way I'm telling you where she is! She's our greatest success!"

"Her name is Felicity!" I spit harshly. "Not Experiment F! What kind of sick joke is it to create Jenova projects with the first letter of someone's name, anyway?"

"Actually, Project F was created originally for you, Zack _Fair_. It just so happened that the subject that was able to accept the altered genes had a name that began with 'F'. Had your cells accepted them instead, it would be you rather than her that became our shinning triumph."

"Why her?" I demand. "Why not someone else?"

"Because there was no one else with her cells," he said simply. "She was born with exceptional conduit DNA that allowed the infusion of advanced Jenova cells into her body."

"What do you mean 'advanced' Jenova cells?"

The researcher fidgets under my angry glare, but he is too excited and proud of the experiment to keep quiet about it. "Hojo wanted to go a step above Project S," he says. "He wanted to create a supernatural being capable of unnatural feats. It took him years, but he finally developed genes that would create the ultimate human. He wanted to plant them inside of you as he said you held promising potential. When you rejected them, he tried the procedure with your infantryman companion, but that too failed. He saw a golden opportunity with the lady First Class as she showed all the traits he was looking for in his super human; she had spirit, strength, grace, beauty, raw talent. He was thrilled when the experiment was a success."

My temper rises with every single one of the researcher's words. I scowl at him and move my blade closer to his neck. "What happened to her?"

He gulps. "S-she was put into conditioning. They ran tests on her abilities, but she wasn't very cooperative. She'd lash out and attack anyone who got too close, which was incredibly dangerous with her new powers. So they sealed her away until they figured out how to gain control over her."

"Yeah, that's never going to happen," I say, smirking to myself. "Where is she kept?"

"A secret chamber. It's hidden in this room, but you'll never be able to find it!"

"No?" I press the tip of my sword into the man's skin. "Lucky you're here then, isn't it? Get up."

He complies, although begrudgingly. "You can't do this," he complains. "She's our finest experiment!"

"She's my friend!" I sneer. "I cherish her far more than I cherish your life, so if you value it, you'd better show me where she is."

My murderous glare combined with my threatening words and my buster sword seems to make an impact on the researcher. He fumbles through his pockets and produces a small metal disk. He cautiously walks to the widest part of the room and, mindful of my sword, places it in a circular niche on the floor. It's a perfect fit.

There's a flash of light before the ground starts to rumble. I allow the researcher to take a few steps back as a section of the floor rises up from the rest. A silver container pod, more elegant than the others came with it. Inside, floating angelically in the clear liquid was Felicity, her eyes closed. Only there was something missing.

I blush a deep red and I turn away from Felicity to pounce furiously on the man. "Where the hell are her clothes?"

It takes all of my strength not to run him through as, rather than look at me, he stares at her, his eyes cloudy. "They were removed after the experiment was deemed a success for easy access."

"Access to _what_?" I snarl.

"To everything. We need full access to the body in order to perform tests and examinations."

I clench my teeth. I've heard enough from this swine of a man. I deliver a swift blow to the side of the researcher's head with the hilt of my sword. He crumples to the ground.

I bring my attention back to Felicity and almost immediately bring it away. I try to focus on her face rather than her bare flesh, but my eyes are defying me and begin to roam. Her curves are completely exposed; I follow the dips and rises with curious rapture. Her skin is unmarred and perfect, free of scars. I pay special attention to her side where Sephiroth slashed her, but even the skin there is unmarked. I marvel at her.

Suddenly I'm fully aware of what I'm doing and I dart my eyes away. I'm filled with shame. I just ogled one of my best friends while she was totally vulnerable. I scold myself as I hunt for the pod's controls. I'm the worst….

I hit the buttons on the side of the container. As the liquid drains form inside, I bend down and peel the lab coat from the researcher. When the chamber is empty of everything but Felicity, I open the door. She falls out as Cloud had. I catch her and instantly wrap the coat over her shoulders. She moans groggily and starts to rouse. I guide her to sit on the floor and pull her arms through the coat sleeves so I can fasten it properly. I'm doing up her buttons when she speaks. Her voice is so quiet, I almost don't hear her. "Zack?"

I look up from the buttons to her eyes and sharply intake a shocked breath. The mischievous, pale-blue of her irises had disappeared. They were replaced with a vibrant, tropical sea-blue, flecked with gold and awe. She stares at me, oblivious to the change, and her face contorts into pure wonder.

She reaches up to touch my face as if she needed proof that I wasn't a hallucination. She takes my head in both of her hands and gawks at me disbelievingly. Her new eyes begin to fill with tears. "You're real…" My heart races as I think she's about to kiss me, but settles as her body deflates in relief. "Oh, thank God! I thought you were dead!"

She's trembling and I can't tell whether it's from respite or trauma. I clench my teeth and swear to beat up, if not kill Hojo for doing this. I rub her back and try to calm her down. Gently, I try to get her to talk. There are things I need to understand. "Why would you think that?"

"I'd heard the guards talking," she explains. Her hands are clenching onto my shirt as if they anchored her to me, afraid I would be taken from her. "They were assigned to keep watch over the room where I was kept and I would hear them talk. A few months after our capture, they were gossiping about the experiments Hojo was performing. I was happy when I heard them talk about how you rejected the cells, but then they started speaking about the unresponsive infantryman and I knew it was Cloud. They said the failed experiments would have to be disposed of and I thought… I thought…"

Her shoulders shake as tears fall down her face. It's hard seeing her so broken. It's as if Angeal had died all over again, only with her lack of clothes and ghostly appearance, it somehow seems worse. I clutch her to me, hoping my body heat would bring her some comfort. "Shh…" I coo in her ear softly. "It's okay. I'm here. Cloud is a few feet away. We're both fine."

"The fear that the worst had happened to you two made everything even more dreadful." She tries to bury herself into my chest as if she could hide there and forget about her ordeal. "No one would tell me anything and I had to suffer through the experiments and tests without ever truly knowing what happened. It… it was awful, Zack."

My arms press her as close to me as they can. Her frantic heartbeat pounds in her chest and I feel nauseated at her uncharacteristic terror. She had gone through so much suffering, more than I could ever imagine. While I had to endure mild experimentation, she had experienced torment, fear and anxiety as well. I can't even imagine how lonely she must have felt, being tested on by scientists and treated like an animal. I close my eyes in anguish. "I know."

* * *

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	19. The Road to Escape

**Update is a little late this week due to computer problems. My keyboard short-circuited and I had to get it fixed. **

**Anyway, the next chapter is here. **

**Things just keep getting better for our trio... **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

We sit on the cold floor of the lab for a while, just holding each other. Felicity eventually stops shaking, but I know she's still traumatized. She's gone through so much. It was going take a while for her to recover.

The first thing we have to do is to get out of the basement. It isn't helping any of us to linger in this gloomy, awful place. Something tells me that the brunette researcher isn't the only scientist around, either. I highly doubt that Hojo would leave his experiments so feebly guarded. We have to get out.

I slowly break from Felicity. Her eyes are hauntingly bright and beautiful, but riddled with so much turmoil. I take her hands reassuringly. "You'll tell me about everything later on." My voice is gentle, but it's clear that I'm not asking a question. I want to know every detail of what those scum did to her so I can kill them for it. I stand up. "We've got to go."

She nods silently and watches as I check on Cloud. "He's okay, right?" she asks, worried.

"He's still breathing," I say, bending down to inspect his physique. "But there's something wrong. He won't respond to anything."

"Damn it," she mutters darkly. "Hojo…"

I straighten and return to her. "Don't worry. He's not getting away with any of this. Next time we see him, he's toast." Offering my hands, she takes them and I help her to her feet.

"More than toast," she says bitterly. She's not very steady on her feet. I've got to hold her weight as she grumbles. "I'll incinerate him. That bastard… All the things he did to us, to Genesis, to Angeal. Everything's his fault."

"Can't argue with you on that. I think it's safe to say that he's in for a world of hurt." I send her a look of concern when she can't get stable. "Are you alright?"

"You mean besides the whole subjected to experimentation stuff?" she says acrimoniously. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little weak. Let me lean on the table while you get Cloud." I lead her to the table obediently and slowly release my hold on her. She nearly collapses to the floor, but manages to catch the table's edge before crumbling. She pulls herself up to stand straight. "Guess my muscles are still on holiday…" she mumbles.

"Your body went through a lot. It's no wonder…" I hate seeing her like this. "Want me to heal you?"

She gives a light scoff. "With your magic? I might be better off without."

I don't mind that she's monotone or that her eyes hold only a fragment of mirth. So long as there is a shred of the old Felicity within her, I know she's okay. I don't care that she teases me; it's part of her personality. She makes fun of those she's close to. I'm overjoyed that Hojo didn't break her. Her spirit prevails.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a sweet embrace. My hands rest on her back, glowing faintly as I administer a cura spell to her core. The surprise attack throws her off guard at first, and Felicity doesn't react, unsure of what to do. A few seconds later however, I feel her fingers snaking around my torso and she returns the hug. I rest my head on hers and for a moment I forget where we are and what we've been through. There's only me and Felicity right now. My senses are filled with her.

I tighten my hold on her body. I never want to let go. "I'm so happy you're okay."

"Yeah," she breathes into my ear. She sounds close to tears. "Me too. I'm glad you guys are alive."

Cloud groans from the floor and we're brought back to the dank reality of the basement lab.

I return to Cloud and Felicity takes in her attire while I kneel beside him. She frowns. "Where did this come from?"

"I took it from the researcher," I say, gesturing to the unconscious man a few feet away as I haul Cloud to his feet. "You needed it more than he did."

"Why would I…" she trails off and her face suddenly grows red. She draws in her arms to cover her body regardless of the fact that the lab coat envelops her entire figure. Her gaze refuses to meet mine. "You saw?"

"Y-yeah," I stammer, a blush creeping up my face. "It was kinda unavoidable."

"Damn researchers," she mutters darkly. Her vibrant eyes send the unconscious brunette an icy glare. "They think they can do whatever they want to the people they bring in for experiments. We're not even humans to them; we're lab rats, given nothing but injections and disrespect…"

"I know," I say in all-seriousness, looking up at her from beside Cloud with understanding and sympathy. "They're going to pay, Felicity. We're going to make it so that they never experiment on people again."

"That might not be enough." Her eyes flash with an emotion foreign to the normal, carefree and gracious Felicity I know. It's dark and dangerous with a miserable undertone that both breaks my heart and makes me anxious.

I haul Cloud to his feet, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulder so I could support his weight. "We should get going. You feeling strong enough to fight?"

"Enough to take on losers like him," she says, gesturing to the researcher. "What do you think we should do with him anyway?"

"Leave him," I suggest. "There isn't much he can do to us now that we're reunited and recuperated. Even if he did come after us, we'd just knock him out again."

"Can we at least tie him up?" She asks, her expression contorting into one of discomfort as she regards the man. "That guy's a lowlife. I've never seen a man so creepy or demented. He'd spend his time talking to you two while I was getting tied to the 'examination' rack. He knew you couldn't hear him but he'd…" she trails off as if she's too angry or too embarrassed to continue.

Part of me wants to respect her privacy. I don't want to push her into reliving unpleasant events… but my curiosity is overwhelming, and I wind up asking, "What did he do?"

"He'd describe the things he was going to do to me," she spits venomously and suddenly I'm just as enraged as she is. "He got a kick out of telling you in great detail how he would violate me in order to make the 'perfect being'. Other times the experiments were of no consequence."

A deep growl rumbles through my chest. "He didn't…?" She shakes her head and I'm flooded with relief. Anger still courses through me as I look at the researcher. "He doesn't deserve to live, does he?"

She shrugs halfheartedly. "Who am I to judge whether a man should live or die? Yes, he did horrible things to me and he was a perverse lecher, but his fate shouldn't be ours to decide."

I quirk an eyebrow. "That's not the SOLDIER mentality."

"I've learned a few things being trapped here and experimented on, Zack." Felicity says, coming to my side. She takes Cloud's free arm and wraps it around her neck, sharing his weight. "Shinra is corrupt and SOLDIER is wrong. Now let's get out of here. I'm sick of this place."

The journey through the underground passage is slow, but relatively calm. Felicity and I are forced to stop every now and then to take on some renegade monsters, but even in our sluggish and weak state, they are easily dispatched.

We're on the second floor of the manor now, trudging along the musty carpet of the corridor. Dust motes are dancing around as we walk. So far, no guards or scientists have caught up to us. Rather than relax at their absence, we're set off, our nerves prickling with the anxiety of their inevitable appearance.

Cloud's legs move automatically, spurred on purely by us dragging him forward. He still doesn't respond to us and his head droops to his chest. He groans subconsciously.

"Should I try healing him?" Felicity asks.

"I don't think so," I respond. "Whatever is wrong with him probably has to do with the mako Hojo injected into his system. Any kind of magic used on him might get absorbed and make things worse."

"So what are we going to do?"

We round the corner and head down the hall that lead back to the foyer stairs. "We take things one at a time. And the first thing we're going to do is get out of this mansion."

The stairs come into sight and I'm filled with elation. We're almost there. Almost out of this God-forsaken place. Until…

"I'm afraid you'll have to revise that though, Zack Fair. You're not going anywhere."

I suck in a breath as my heart drops.

Felicity stiffens beside me, her voice almost a whisper as she says to herself, "No…"

Waiting at the bottom of the staircase, with a dozen or more Shinra troops to block our escape, is Hojo. The haughty smirk on his face boils my blood. "How nice of you to take our experiment out for a walk, Zack. However, we prefer to have her on a leash."

"You bastards," I seethe. "After all you've done, you dare show your faces!"

Hojo scoffs. "You didn't think we'd let you walk out with our greatest achievement, did you?"

"I'm not some possession you created for prosperity, Hojo," Felicity barks. She leaves Cloud to me so she can glower at the scientist and his goons from the top of the stairs. "I am Felicity White, SOLDIER First Class!"

"I'm afraid you're one and the same, my dear." Hojo says, advancing towards the stairs as if to get a closer look at her. "We took the normal, spirited First Class SOLDIER and made her better. You're above all other SOLDIERs, all other _life forms!_ We made you all-powerful. You are perfect!"

"I am _not_ perfect!" Felicity hisses. "I wasn't to begin with, and I never will be. The only thing you and your scientist buddies made me was angry! You have absolutely no right to experiment on humans as you like and I'm going to pound you for what you did to me and my friends!"

Before I can stop her, she runs headlong down the stairs in a fury, her hands charging up magic as they clench into fists. Hojo looks nonchalant about his super being charging to attack. His mouth curves into a smirk and I'm struck with a bad feeling. "Felicity!" I yell. "Wait!"

With a wave of Hojo's hand, one of the Shinra troops pulls out an odd looking gun and points it at Felicity. She has no time to react. The infantryman pulls the trigger and a dart explodes from the barrel and imbeds itself into Felicity's chest, right above her heart.

Shocked and in pain, she stumbles back. After getting over her daze, she rips the dart out of her flesh and tosses it aside. "What the hell was that?" she demands.

"A serum we've been working on," Hojo enlightens. "You have plenty of spirit, Miss White –a trait that is both positive and negative in the Jenova Project. You still do not have control over your powers and we have yet to break you of your strong will. We needed a way to gain domination over you, so we spent months creating this antigen. It will fuse to your motor neurons and enable us to turn them on and off with a simple voice command."

Lightning sparks and crackles from Felicity's hands as her rage dangerously builds. "Damn you all… you put me through hell in order to create your 'perfect being'… and now you have the nerve to screw with me even more?" Electricity is dancing around her, bolts of lightning jumping chaotically and licking the air. Felicity charges at the men with vehemence. "_Damn you!_"

Even with the sparking, enraged girl running at him with murderous intentions, Hojo remains stoic. He thrusts out a hand when she's almost upon him and bellows, "_Amianthi!"_ In one fell swoop, though nothing comes out of his hand, Felicity drops to the floor.

"Felicity!" I shout. I quickly ease Cloud to sit on the stairs before rushing down them after my fallen friend.

An infantryman reaches her first. He bends down to pick her up.

"Don't touch her!" I snarl.

He pays me no heed and scoops her into his arms, returning to Hojo's side. The scientist looks her over as if he were inspecting a vase for damage. "No harm done. It seems she was healed by a rudimentary cure spell." He looks at me. "Your doing, I imagine."

"What did you do to her?" I growl.

"I already explained what the serum did, boy. Were you not listening?" He scoffs at me, shaking his head. "Simpletons, the whole lot of them."

"_Answer me_. What did you do? What was that word just now?"

"We put her to _sleep_, my dear boy," he replied, exasperated. "_Amianthi_ is the key word to trigger the antigens inside her body."

"And how do you wake her?"

"She will wake on her own."

"When?"

"That remains to be seen." He inspects Felicity again, surveying her face and the rise and fall of her chest. "This is the first field test of the serum. However, I expect that her periods of unconsciousness will depend on the levels of fatigue in her body during the time of antigen activation."

"What is wrong with you?" I hiss. "Felicity isn't your guinea pig! You can't keep testing experiments on her!"

Hojo sneers at me distastefully. "I can, and I will. She belongs to me now, a being of perfection molded by my hand. Once I break her of her spirit, she will do my bidding and I will rule this planet with her immense power!"

"Hate to break it to you, Hojo," I say disdainfully. "But there's no way you can break Felicity. She's endured all of your experiments so far, and there's nothing you can throw at her to get her to submit to you."

"Quite right, Zack. Quite right." Hojo leers. "Everything I have tried so far has failed… and any of my new plans are likely to fail as well. However, I have just devised a new strategy. Yes, it is true that the girl will not listen to me, but I'm sure that will change once I acquire some… leverage."

"Leverage?"

With a wave of Hojo's hand, two flanks of infantrymen advance towards the staircase where I stand. The one carrying Felicity sets her down beside the scientist and joins his comrades. Hojo smirks. "Be a good boy and come quietly, will you?"

* * *

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